Synergies and Dilettantism: Methodological Applications of Artistic Practices on Themselves

The presentation discusses our interdisciplinary research project on the musical work of visual artist Dieter Roth and his music group »Selten gehörte Musik«, which consisted largely of dilettantes (from 1973 onwards). Our approach ranged from artistic research, oral history, archival studies, and curation, leading not only to memorable encounters with the grand masters of Viennese Actionism, but also to deserted Icelandic fjords and ultimately to three major exhibitions at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, the Kunsthaus Zug, and the Musik-Akademie Basel. A key feature of this project was that the research group's methodology was based on the synergetic practices of the artists themselves.

Michel Roth is a professor of composition, artistic research, and music theory at the Basel Academy of Music. He earned his doctorate in musicology from the University of Basel on Musical Indeterminacy and Game Theory. His works are performed internationally, including his two operas, »Im Bau« and »Die künstliche Mutter«. His orchestral piece »Der Spaziergang« was awarded the Musica Viva Munich Composition Prize. Beyond the music world, he has recently become known for his Acoustic Ecology sound archive of »singing« cable car ropes in the Swiss Alps (www.ropesinging.ch), which has also been received by engineers and cultural scientists, as well as the Techno Music scene.

This keynote is part of the EU-funded project »Die Drei Ecken«, a cooperation between the Freiburg University of Music, HEAR Strasbourg, sonic space basel (FHNW), Musica (Strasbourg), Météo (Mulhouse), Donaueschinger Musiktage, the ZKM (Karlsruhe) and Gare du Nord (Basel). See the webpages of the New Music Institute for more projects.