On August 29, 1952, an unbearable silence hung over the audience at the Maverick Concert Hall, near the British town of Woodstock. There the scandalous world premiere of “4:33”, probably the most famous work by the composer John Cage, took place. Exactly 70 years later to the day, the Kunstverein Ebersberg is organizing the Maverick Festival in memory of John Cage and his work in the gallery at the monastery building yard. The English artist duo Andy Webster and Derek Tyman brought the project to life with the support of the Steinhöringen musician Peter Kees. As with the Maverick concert hall, a space for the joint interaction of artists for artists is to be created.
Until recently, their true-to-scale copy of the Maverick concert hall, at least the façade, adorned the house of the sculptor Hubert Maier in Moosach. On Wednesday, the two artists dismantled their draft and transported it to Ebersberg.
Between the wooden beams and scaffolding scattered in the gallery, the contours of the three stages can already be seen, which are now to be assembled from the beams. Pleasantly minimalistic, they fit into the rustic rooms. In doing so, the artists create a framework in which the interaction of building, music and image can be experienced in a scene: a place that is original enough to draw the attention of onlookers – and simple enough to capture as much as possible of artistic happenings. Those who are curious are welcome to drop by at the weekend during the construction work.
The façade becomes various stages.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
An extensive program can be expected on Monday, which will open at 7 p.m. with the self-designed instrument of Nuremberg composer Florian Türke. Webster and Tyman built the first stage for Türke’s so-called longboard harp out of the serrated center section of the concert hall facade. In addition to other musical interludes by the artist duo Media service performance hell and Peter Kees on the organ of the monastery church of St. Sebastian, video recordings of the performance of the work “4:33” in Moosach will also be shown. Meanwhile, artist Anja Uhlik invites you to her event in the “La Garaasch” gallery in the Altstadtpassage, in which she addresses the unusual relationship between John Cage and stones. The evening will be rounded off by DJ performances by Andreas Mitterer.
Using the wooden structure, Andy Webster and Derek Tyman create a stage that is just as unconventional as John Cage and the Maverick concert hall. It was important to them, they say, to create a place in which the artists’ music is hardly lost. The fact that the music’s surroundings always absorb a little of its effect is unavoidable. But especially with the piece by John Cage, the environment plays a special role and makes each interpretation of the piece unique.