On Time Out of Time

Concert

1.3 billion years ago, two massive black holes in a distant galaxy surrendered to one another's inexorable attraction and merged, in a collision so powerful that it shook up the very fabric of the universe. On September 14th, 2015, the ripples in spacetime that were produced by the astronomical force of their collision — exerting more energy than all the stars in the observable universe combined — finally reached the surface of the Earth: its gravitational waves are the first ever to be detected by humankind. The lovingly dubbed "heartbeat of the universe" marks the opening of an entirely new sensory field for astrophysics, as sound now enters the stage as a new kind of cosmic signal.

In On Time Out of Time, (2017) William Basinski uses exclusive recordings from The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory — the fantastic machines that captured the signal — to create a visceral experience of inconceivable magnitudes. In his continued musical exploration of the temporal mysteries of nature, and with his signature mastery of extended processes of entropic decay, Basinski's piece navigates the 1.3 billion-year gradual disintegration of these trailblazing waves as they journey to Earth, after detonating with the colossal violence of their cosmic conception. Stretching and lagging the sonified samples, the sound cascades outwards, becoming increasingly musical through the addition of subtle melodies, synthesizers, and loops, meticulously assembled in an all-embracing drone composition that succeeds in the impossible: to unveil Time in her most exotic guise — as an outlandishly curvaceous, pliant, and irrepressibly animate component of the universe. (Isabel de Sena)

William Basinski, American musician and composer, is an indispensable name of contemporary experimental music and a great inspiration for countless artists of all genres. After performing twice at the Teatar&TD (2007 and 2014), on this occasion at the French Pavilion, closing down 25 FPS, he will present his new piece On Time Out of Time.

The concert is co-organized by Multimedia Institute and 25 FPS.

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