Mats Gustafsson/Jef Mertens collaboration (2003)

Jef Mertens · 10.25.2006, 02:54 AM

I just put this video online which is a collaboration of Mats Gustafsson and myself dating from 2002.

The story behind this originates from when I first read an article in The Wire about Thurston and Mats playing their first gig as a duo at the Empty Bottle in Chicago late Nineties I'm guessing. Described as "...people dropping their jaws on the floor in bewilderment..." I had yet to hear the two play together but in my mind the two sounds were already compromised, at least in my fantasy they were. Some years later I was thinking about it again and thought: how could I make those compromises a true event and not just in my head.
This was a year after I graduated and had done some (experimental) filming of portraits of people. I deceided to sent Mats, whom I knew from filming some performances, a ten minute video piece for him to score and give a title.
I asked him if he could contact Thurston and ask if he would be interested in doing the same. This way i would have two pieces with the same visual score yet differently scored and could compare the two as playing the same score.
Some months later I embarked on my first Murray Street european tour with SY, shooting their performances. I was invited backstage in Switserland and had a chance to talk some about my little project. I asked Thurston if he had heard from Mats and told him about the video score. He said this could be done.

The tour ended and we met again in Eindhoven some months after. I handed thurston all my video tapes from the tour as well as the video score. We talked briefly and the day ended as I drove home.

The video never got scored by T unfortunately, knowing these guys have loads of other stuff to do.
I did get a cd by Mats at the beginning of 2003 with the instructions of where to put the music in the video. Another cd was send in by Phil Niblock with whom I did an internship some years before as i wanted a three screen video installation for this. In the end result I just made the piece with Mats and it never got screened.

It's called 'Dream Investigation - her head is falling' and to make this story short, you can find it here - http://www.myspace.com/jefmertens

sonicl · 10.25.2006, 03:04 AM

I can't access the link I'm afraid (damn firewalls!), but the story behind it is a cool one.

Are you going to ATP (Silly question, I expect)? What's the chance of your organising a screening of your work there? I'd love to see it.

Jef Mertens · 10.25.2006, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonicl

Are you going to ATP (Silly question, I expect)? What's the chance of your organising a screening of your work there? I'd love to see it.

Not so silly really cus unfortunately I ain't going. I have no cam at the moment and I can't make it. As for screenings of my work at such events I wouldn't expect that to happen. My work is pretty small scale and lots of it isn't even official. I just loiter around fiddling with my camera actually, come to think of it.

I have had some screenings though: Elegy had screenings in Antwerp, Hasselt and my hometown. Also hoping for a very special screening this year somewhere I wouldn't have thought it ever would.

Tokolosh · 10.25.2006, 03:24 AM

I like it. Is it supposed to have sound, 'cause I don't hear anything?

Jef Mertens · 10.25.2006, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kegmama

Holy hell Jef, you kick ass.

thanx Kegmama!
Funny thing is: how nice it would have been if Mats score could blast from the left speaker and Thurston's from the right speaker.
A duo performance with each player in another part of the world playing.

In 2000 Mats wrote his Hydros pieces with each performer playing in another room without hearing each other. Mabey that sparked his interest for the videoscore.

Jef Mertens · 10.25.2006, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

I like it. Is it supposed to have sound, 'cause I don't hear anything?

You might wanna krank up the volume. It's pretty silent and Mats only starts playing after a couple of minutes. It's the breathing sound he emenates.

Tokolosh · 10.25.2006, 04:38 AM

Now I hear it.

greenlight · 10.25.2006, 06:20 AM

Moshe · 10.25.2006, 08:20 AM

Great work jef.
I don't know why but you work tend to be sad... Both this work and Elegy seem to me to deal with death.

Jef Mertens · 10.25.2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moshe

Great work jef.
I don't know why but you work tend to be sad... Both this work and Elegy seem to me to deal with death.

During my art school studies I did a lot of work that had some kind of vibe of melancholy, no emo though. A lot had to do with a poetic side, but in a very static sense. I love free flow, but it's hard to free myself up in some weird way. Sometimes it feels more like mathematics which it isn't.

A lot of what I did also involved memory, perception and a proces of dealing with your own self in that perception.

10.25.2006, 02:54 AM	#1
Jef Mertens 100% Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Geel, Belgium Posts: 792	I just put this video online which is a collaboration of Mats Gustafsson and myself dating from 2002. The story behind this originates from when I first read an article in The Wire about Thurston and Mats playing their first gig as a duo at the Empty Bottle in Chicago late Nineties I'm guessing. Described as "...people dropping their jaws on the floor in bewilderment..." I had yet to hear the two play together but in my mind the two sounds were already compromised, at least in my fantasy they were. Some years later I was thinking about it again and thought: how could I make those compromises a true event and not just in my head. This was a year after I graduated and had done some (experimental) filming of portraits of people. I deceided to sent Mats, whom I knew from filming some performances, a ten minute video piece for him to score and give a title. I asked him if he could contact Thurston and ask if he would be interested in doing the same. This way i would have two pieces with the same visual score yet differently scored and could compare the two as playing the same score. Some months later I embarked on my first Murray Street european tour with SY, shooting their performances. I was invited backstage in Switserland and had a chance to talk some about my little project. I asked Thurston if he had heard from Mats and told him about the video score. He said this could be done. The tour ended and we met again in Eindhoven some months after. I handed thurston all my video tapes from the tour as well as the video score. We talked briefly and the day ended as I drove home. The video never got scored by T unfortunately, knowing these guys have loads of other stuff to do. I did get a cd by Mats at the beginning of 2003 with the instructions of where to put the music in the video. Another cd was send in by Phil Niblock with whom I did an internship some years before as i wanted a three screen video installation for this. In the end result I just made the piece with Mats and it never got screened. It's called 'Dream Investigation - her head is falling' and to make this story short, you can find it here - http://www.myspace.com/jefmertens __________________
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10.25.2006, 03:04 AM	#2
sonicl invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 9,527	I can't access the link I'm afraid (damn firewalls!), but the story behind it is a cool one. Are you going to ATP (Silly question, I expect)? What's the chance of your organising a screening of your work there? I'd love to see it.
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10.25.2006, 03:24 AM	#4
Tokolosh invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Plaza de Toros Posts: 6,731	I like it. Is it supposed to have sound, 'cause I don't hear anything? __________________ Anything you can /imagine is real
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10.25.2006, 04:38 AM	#7
Tokolosh invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Plaza de Toros Posts: 6,731	Now I hear it. __________________ Anything you can /imagine is real
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10.25.2006, 06:20 AM	#8
greenlight invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5,134	wow.
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10.25.2006, 08:20 AM	#9
Moshe Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5,914	Great work jef. I don't know why but you work tend to be sad... Both this work and Elegy seem to me to deal with death.
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