dimas de melo pimenta
and
Ballet de Lorraine
Merce Cunningham Trust
Walker Art Center
MCA Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
      

S  h  o  r  t  W  a  v  e  s     1  9  8  5

            S     B     b     r

ShortWaves 1985 was composed in the year of 1985, with short waves radio sounds captured from the middle of the Brazilian forests. The world listened from the forest. SBbr was composed one year before, in 1984, and its structure is based on a special shape of galaxy: the spiral barred.

Merce Cunningham used both of them in his famous piece Fabrications. In the beginning I was not very satisfied, because they would form a symmetrical specular figure. But, the unpredictable happened: John Cage called me: Merce needed more time. It was not possible to change the pieces. One work must never illustrate another one. John asked me: "Could I create a silence in-between?" Yes, of course, I replied. "Then, it will be my gift to you."., he said. The silence is flexible.

That silence made me happy. Since my first works I've paid attention to a basic principle of Zen aesthetics: ten, ji, chin.

Now, Fabrications - as well as SortWaves 1985 and SBbr - are celebrating their thirty years. The world première happened in March 3, 1987, performed by David Tudor.

emanuel pimenta

complete program

d

The New York Times article on the première of Fabrications with ShortWaves 1985 and SBbr in 1987

Northrop Theater
Minneapolis
February 17 . 2017 . 7:30 pm

MCA Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago
February 18 . 2017 . 7:30 pm
February 19 . 2017 . 3:00 pm
February 19 . 2017 . 7:30 pm

photos - Amazonia by lubasi; Spiral Barred Galaxy by NASA