Cantus Viscous

(2017)

With the LIMA collection as point of departure, Mark IJzerman made the AV-performance CANTUS VISCOUS: In this performance the concept of pareidolia is explored. The human mind will always try and “classify” familiar patterns- which is why we see faces or other familiar objects when cloud watching, for example. An emergent video synthesizer is fed with material from the LIMA collection, while sounds from the collection are performed using tape-loops. The video synthesizer “listens” to the incoming sound and it reacts according to the brightness, noisiness, etc. of the sound. Through this process, excerpts from the collective sometimes become recognizable, making the audiovisual experience walk the line between abstract and figurative. “CANTUS VISCOUS” is named after “cantus firmus” (meaning “fixed song”), the musical term for using an existing melody as a basis for a new composition. Also, it is sometimes used as a metaphor for something that endures.

Live-set consisting of a performance with four-track tape recorders, endless cassettes, a modular synth, home made spring reverbs, a modified Space Echo and a homemade software video synthesizer.