Atlantic Wall

ATLANTIC WALL for seven musicians, electronics and video is one of the works that Wim Henderickx composed for the HERMESensemble. In this composition, he wanted to perfectly blend the use of live electronics with the instruments, in combination with video. The further exploration of the concept of “sound and resonance” and the extensive exploration of the voice also play a major role in this work. The natural elements of water and fire form the underlying force in the electronics. For the premiere in 2012 at the World Music Days in Antwerp, Kristof Bilsen made an “emergency video” due to a storm and power failure in New York, the home of video artist Kurt Ralske. Later, the work had another premiere and several performances with Ralske's video, including at the Venice Biennale. ATLANTIC WALL is a retrospective look at the horrors of war, but in an introspective way. It aims to sublimate the deeply human pain into an almost spiritual experience. War is related to compassion. The alternation of emptiness and fullness forms the basic idea of this composition. Wim Henderickx chose VOIX DE L'OMBRE as the subtitle because the idea of tone and its shadow was also an important starting point during the creative process. The electronics were realised in collaboration with Jorrit Tamminga.