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[Example of PR texts for an open workshop:]
Welcome to Johannes' sound workshop, which in fact is the whole world's sound workshop. Discover sounds and music in everything you have around you! Please bring your own interesting objects or materials from home, or on the way here, also bows and tools! With the help of Johannes' contact microphones, no sound is too small to be used! At the concert afterwards, you can then, if you want, show everything that you have discovered.
Johannes will show some of the many instruments he invented and built during his work as a sound artist. He will also have a review of some unusual entrances into instrument building and acoustic principles from the backyards of the musical instrument system.
You will also, with Johannes' help, have the opportunity to examine the sound possibilities of different materials and objects, and also to invent and build new musical instruments with the help of available materials. You can also build contact microphones, if you're over 12 years old.
from Stockholm, is specializing on amplified objects in improvised and electroacoustic music.
He is an experimental musical instrument builder, text-sound composer, sound poet, piano technician and writer.
He also makes sound sculptures, sound installations, sound environments, his own contact microphones and performance art. Johannes has toured around the world and collaborated with all kinds of artists in countless projects. He has often also teached, lectured and had workshops in experimental musical instrument building for all ages.
He sees himself as belonging to the ancient tradition as well as the modern, experimental DIY (do it yourself) spirit. His materials are often cheap, his methods clear, and he is inspired by touching and handling materials and by the strange poetic attraction of found objects.
By using things that are not usually associated with sound or music, he immerses himself in the tiniest sounds and amplifies them into the audible range, usually without electronic processing. A performance is like an improvised puppet show or dance of the debris and he hopes to inspire others to create their own poor man's utopias from available resources.
Using non-traditional acoustics, traditional crafts and basic audio technology, a miniature world unfolds, where the development of knowledge, sensibility, skills, inspiration and surprise meet.
He has been active in the association for radical and experimental art, Fylkingen since 1997 (he was chairman in 2002-2004 and again 2009-2010), and has worked as a composer at the Electronic Music Studio since 1984.
Collaborations with and teachings to hundreds of people of all ages, and for thousands of children in 12 countries:
dk, ee, fi, fr, hu, it, no, pl, se, tk, uk, us.
has, except for being constantly active as an improvising musician and musical instrument builder, extensive experience doing workshops with anyone from small children on kindergartens to adult students on universities and others interested in experimental musical instrument construction, creative sound research and improvisation- and composition workshops and has many times also lectured on this and other topics. The countries in which he has led workshops include denmark, england, estonia, finland, norway, poland, sweden, turkey and usa.
He has also worked with children's concerts, sound exhibitions for children and children's theater in
All participants are asked to bring the material they want to build musical instruments of, also all the bows they have access to. All kinds of hand tools and materials of e.g. wood, plastic and metal are welcome.
I start by showing some of my musical instruments, installations, performances and other sound constructions, going through a number of unusual approaches that belong to the backyards of the traditional musical instrument system, special cases and exceptions, explain how to make simple instruments of various types and out of available resources. I show how contact microphones work. There are some simple instrument prototypes to copy for those who feel less imaginative, but I urge them strongly to experiment and invent.
I want to do a workshop that shows how, through musical instrument building and work with contact microphones you can ultimately achieve or improve any of the following:
With playing exercises that follow, one can achieve:
– What I would ask you to provide:Johannes Bergmark
In sweden he has worked on the Academy of Music and Drama, Göteborg University, Gotlands Tonsättarskola, Sverigefinska Folkhögskolan in Haparanda, Fylkingen in Stockholm, a “Skapande Skola” project: ”creative musical instrument construction and composition-/improvisation workshops” in four schools in Norrtälje Kommun, four kindergartens in Stockholm and Det Stora Blå, a workshop for people with intellectual disabilities, at the Ljud@2016 Improvisation festival in Lund he had an instrument inventing workshop with children and 60+ older people at Stadsbiblioteket plus a concert with the participants.
With colleagues:
Kalv på resa (the Kalv Festival on tour), with Duo Gelland and Elsbeth Bergh (in Sjuhäradsbygden); with Martin Klapper (at Piteå Conservatory); with Herman Müntzing (at Malmö Högskola); Anders Erkéus (Låta, Soundwell) with which he also participated in Tonspråk seminars about aesthetic learning processes. On the national tour with Mubil, the electro-acoustic van, a great number of workshops for all ages were held.
In norway he has worked a lot on a great number of schools and festivals with Jon Halvor Bjørnseth or Isak Anderssen at Drivhuset Musikkverksteder, or independently at Tou Scene, Stavanger, in cooperation with zang: and Ny Musikk Rogaland; with Trondheim Improvisasjonsensemble; Bergen Impro Storband and Fana Folkehøgskule at BEK, with concerts at Bergen Bibliotek and Cafe Opera; and at Røst Artist-In-Residence at Skomvær Fyr.
In england he has had a number of workshops with schoolchildren through Eyemusic / Colourscape / Fabulous Sound Machines.
In estonia at Tallinn Art Hall, a musical instrument inventing workshop and a concert in the SOOLO series.
In Birmingham, Alabama and in San Francisco, usa, he led improvisation workshops.
In Kerava Youth Prison, finland, he had a workshop and a concert.
At Kunsthøjskolen på Holbæk Slots Ladegård, denmark, he had workshops and concerts, and at a school in København with Martin Klapper.
At 6 Festiwal Muzyki Improwizowanej Ad Libitum in Warszawa he had a two-days workshop in “Experimental instrument building and creative sound research” at Laboratorium, Centre For Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej – Zamek Ujazdowski). In Gdańsk, poland, he led a “Two days Musical Instrument Building Workshop + concert”, as a part of Soundplay (Dzwiękowiska) project in C e n t r u m S z t u k i W s p ółc z e s n e j Łaźnia (Centre for Contemporary Art) under Art+Science Meeting project.
In Gaziantep, turkey, he had a workshop with turkish- and syrian refugee children at “23 April TRT International Children and Media Conference III”, the turkish national television's yearly conference on children's culture.
In Gent, belgium, he presented the paper “Composition, Improvisation and Experimental Musical Instrument Design” at Sound Work - Composition as Critical Technical Practice. The 10th Orpheus Research Seminar, at Orpheus Instituut.
denmark, england, finland, france, hungary, italy, norway and sweden.
PREPARATION
For practical reasons I might bring a very limited amount of harpsichord string (like piano string but thinner), harpsichord nails (pegs), harpsichord hitch (end) pins, a few special tools, bows, plastic pipes, balloons, rubber bands and some other materials.
I might bring tools and materials to make contact microphones, depending on whether it is needed in this context, and the age group and length of the workshop.
IMPLEMENTATION
A very quick and convenient method to do this (which works more or less for all ages), are to perform the following simple tasks:
All show how the instruments sound and what they can do with them. I suggest several different playing techniques for each instrument to expand the possibilities.
Those who want can do more at home when the time is up, or decorate the instruments.
Optionally (if it fits the plan, if people want):
Those who are finished early can gather in their own groups and start to improvise and make music together and to get to know their instruments.
We might form small groups, who make music together, I go around and help, inspire and suggest ideas. One task is: - Put together a simple collective composition with the sounds that we have. Use combinations, sections, solos, beginning, end, rhythms and non-rhythms, tones and non-tones, melodies and non-melodies. If you feel you need, write down the composition in your own way (with pictures, words, graphs, etc.). Or improvise. Invent, test.
After the workshop we have a concert/demonstration for the others, for friends and other interested people.
GOALS AND MEANS
Photos and film clips available on the documentation page for workshops and work with children!
Necessary* or desirable tools:
Since the workshop's main point is to inspire invention and improvisation, it is impossible to completely predict what might be needed, but some things can increase the possibilities. It is best if the participants are also invited to bring along things that might be good for the purpose, and here are some suggestions.
* = important, the rest optional but desirable, and you can also do a lot with "available resources"!):
# = I am able to bring some of these things myself, if we agree to do so, but I would like to keep those things to a minimum.
AV Equipment
Tools
Contact Microphone Making
Materials
Playing Workshop
For different concert needs see rider here.
Contact and upcoming events.
Updated the 31st of December, 2016.