Curtains was com­mis­sioned by Zwerm for the sec­ond episode of Our Ears Felt Like Canyons. This edi­tion focuss­es on the phys­i­cal almost pal­pa­ble pres­ence of sound in the room. 

Heleen Van Haegenborgh’s Curtains forms a con­trast with Stephen O’Malley’s new piece Avaeken. It dis­plays beat­ing phe­nom­e­na of pre­cise har­mon­ics in the space of the room allow­ing rhythm and struc­ture to move around the space.

Although dif­fer­ent in their son­ic dif­fu­sion, both com­po­si­tions con­nect the lis­ten­ing expe­ri­ence with the sense of touch. Enhanced by an adapt­ed stag­ing that care­ful­ly shifts between light and dark­ness, Our Ears Felt Like Canyons II explores dif­fer­ent modes of lis­ten­ing using the phys­i­cal space as an exten­sion of the human body. 

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Credits

• Commissioned by
  Zwerm Electric Guitar Quartet
• Composition
  Heleen Van Haegenborgh
• Performed by
  Zwerm Electric Guitar Quartet (Toon Callier, Kobe Van Cauwenberghe, Johannes Westendorp & Bruno Nelissen)
• Scenography and light design
  Lucas Van Haesbroeck
• Sound engineer
  Antoine Delagoutte
• Première on
  May 6, 2021 at Nona
• Length
  25’
• Instrumentation
  elec gtr (4) and elec