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The Prix Ars Electronica Archive is a collection enabling search and viewing of all the submissions since 1987. The award-winning projects are documented with catalogue texts and audio-visual media. All other submissions can be searched by title/artist and displayed with year, category in list form. Please cite the credits (artwork name, artist and photographer) and only use the materials if your article is related to Ars Electronica.
Marionette
Roderik De Man,
Jorge Isaac
In Über das Marionetten Theater (“On the Puppet Theatre”, 1810) Heinrich von Kleist, through his protagonist Herr C., discourses on the infinite grace of inanimate objects. He says the marionette, unfettered by the need to touch the ground, is far more graceful than the human dancer. Only a god or possibly an animal such as a bear could equal the grace of inanimate matter, whereas humans are clumsy, weighed down by consciousness. This essay by von Kleist provided the concept for Marionette.
Roderik de Man and Jorge Isaac together make a musical representation of this concept in three continuous chapters:
Part I, for sopranino, displays the grotesque and playful character of the marionette. Part II, for tenor, is a lyrical reflection on “the grace of inanimate matter,” and in Part III the contrabass recorder translates controlled and uncontrolled movements into a chaotic fantasy. The sounds of the acoustic instruments are the main source for processing the live electronics. The electroacoustic result is made possible by the use of a detailed capture/transformation process from the acoustic source (sopranino, tenor and contrabass recorder).
Marionette was commissioned by the Visisonor Foundation (Netherlands) and realized by Electroshock Records (Moscow) in November 2007.
Roderik de Man and Jorge Isaac together make a musical representation of this concept in three continuous chapters:
Part I, for sopranino, displays the grotesque and playful character of the marionette. Part II, for tenor, is a lyrical reflection on “the grace of inanimate matter,” and in Part III the contrabass recorder translates controlled and uncontrolled movements into a chaotic fantasy. The sounds of the acoustic instruments are the main source for processing the live electronics. The electroacoustic result is made possible by the use of a detailed capture/transformation process from the acoustic source (sopranino, tenor and contrabass recorder).
Marionette was commissioned by the Visisonor Foundation (Netherlands) and realized by Electroshock Records (Moscow) in November 2007.
Roderik de Man (NL), born in 1941, studied percussion with Frans van der Kraan. At the same time he participated in composition classes with Kees van Baaren and worked in the electronic studio as a student of Dick Raaymakers. Since 1972 he has been teaching theoretical subjects and composition to young composers at the same institute. Since 1998 he has been on the board of CEM (Center for Electronic Music).
Jorge Isaac (NL), born in 1974, completed his professional training under the tutelage of Walter van Hauwe at the Amsterdam Conservatory in 2000. In 2002 he received his masters degree on contemporary performance & live electronics with Jos Zwaanenburg at the same institution. In 2006 he was appointed as Recorder Teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
Jorge Isaac (NL), born in 1974, completed his professional training under the tutelage of Walter van Hauwe at the Amsterdam Conservatory in 2000. In 2002 he received his masters degree on contemporary performance & live electronics with Jos Zwaanenburg at the same institution. In 2006 he was appointed as Recorder Teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory.