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International Space Band Initiative   
Prague

September 26th, 2005
6-9p, City Centre
Starting at Skolská 28 Gallery
Ending concert at NoD

Performance route
Workshops
at Skolská 28
6pm, September 8, 14, 22


Lyde Concert Performances

September 15,
Rybanaruby
September 17,
Dul Mayrau
September 24, Kladno

Event Postcard
(pdf)

Prague workshops photos
Prague Space Band video

Prague
, Portland
Hillsboro, Caldwell
Den Bosch, Münster


The Prague Space Band project took place over three weeks and included a series of advertized workshops leading to a main event. The workshops were used to train volunteer performers to play the lyde instruments and notation in preparation for a Space Band event.

The workshop artist, Dan Senn, arrived in Prague three weeks prior to the main event and took I Ching readings at eight stationary performance sites. At each he asked the I Ching "What sounds will be appropriate for this space?" Then, using traditional sticks and the I Ching, he determined a set of hexagrams which pointed to a corresponding set of graphic lycons-a kind of sonic signature for that site and score for future performance. These symbols, a set of 3 to 4, were transferred to cloth flags in the workshops. In the end, eight flag-scores (see flag-score #2 below) were created for eight performance locations each situated within "marching" distance of one another .

On the day of the main performance, the Space Band gathered in the early evening at the Skolska 28 Gallery and set off for the first stationary performance location while playing their instruments in the continuous ringing style. As the musicians moved through the narrow streets, the tight cluster of ringing sounds had the effect of enhancing the unique sonic characteristics of the narrow streets transfixing the band members and those who were along the parade route. As the musicians approached a performance site, they slowed, gradually became silent, then still, and began playing the score associated with that location. After a 5 to 10 minute performance, the Band set off for the next location, again, using the continuous ringing effect. This process repeated itself until the final location, the ninth location, at the NoD performance space, where all flags-scores were performed in concert