meeting 1
Two lines are build into the brick and tile work of the University courtyard in Tilburg which meet each other at an angle of 90 degrees. The courtyard has strong acoustic possibilities.
For this performance 30 points are made on each line with chalk, so that the distances between the points begin small (2 cm) and gradually become larger the nearer they come to the meeting point (the last space being c. 6,5 m).
These 30 steps indicate the minutes, the duration of the performance. In the performance of “ Meeting 1” these sequences serve as directions for two people who, starting at point zero and moving at an accelerating rate, meet each other after 30 minutes at the intersection of the lines.
Performance:
The public is asked to occupy the grass in the corner which is created by the two lines. At the beginning of each line stands a person dressed in grey with a stop watch. At the count of three both stop watches are started and each person begins to move along the line at a sufficiently slow speed that after one minute the first interval has been achieved (2cm). Because of the systematic increase in the distance between the points the next minute seems a gradual increase in speed. When they start moving both people make a low and soft sound with their voices. In the next minute they increase their volume and pitch in proportion to their speed. Each person senses his own way through the sequence.
By the time they meet each other each person is making a sound which is high in both pitch and volume. During this process the acoustics of the courtyard resound increasingly because of the ringing voices.
year | 1985 |
location | courtyard University Tilburg |
performed by | Ad van Iersel
Toine Horvers |
photography | Henk Geraedts |
project or event | exhibition 'Art at University' |