Organic Iterations #1 opened

At the end of September, our new work Organic Iterations opened at the Eusebius Church in Arnhem. It was celebrated with a performance brought by three singers and the work itself, after which visitors could try the interactive installation themselves. “The sound is overwhelming, I was immediately amazed by that. My gaze went to the cross vaults, the architecture, the blending of sound and space”, stated one of the visitors.

In Organic Iterations #1, a church organ comes to life through three large pillars. When the organ is sung to, it responds by singing along. The organ engages in a playful collaboration with the visitor, creating unique compositions each time. A mixture of different voices is created: that of the organ, the visitors, the algorithm and the history of the church.

“Organic Iterations was developed from the desire to make the culture and history of the church understandable and accessible”, explains co-founder Tom Kortbeek. “By collaborating with a team of professionals from various fields, we bring together different stories in this work. We aim to let viewers look at a familiar phenomenon through a new perspective. Where does the sound come from and how does the organ behave in response to my voice? As the work draws a connection between the sound and the space on the one hand, but within that, also between the past and the present, history and technology are made tangible and experienceable.”

Over the course of two years, we are developing three different works of art with and for the Eusebius Church. This church’s history and characteristics form the installation’s conceptual starting point. These are divided into three themes: sharing, dissent and connection. This first artwork forms the starting point of Organic Iterations, after which two more works will follow.

Co-founder Roos Meerman is excited about the collaboration with R-vent. “To realize the installation, we collaborated with a technique that is not often used in the art world: ventilation ducts from R-Vent. The technique exactly matched our aesthetic and acoustic wishes. The material is lightweight and translates the look and feel of the organ pipe into a contemporary version”, Meerman said in her speech during the opening night.