JEMP, an eight-day festival of Polish contemporary electronic and experimental music is returning to London
Arts Territory is delighted to announce the fifth iteration of JEMP, an eight-day festival of Polish contemporary electronic and experimental music, which takes place this year at the Swiss Church, Covent Garden, London, commencing 12 December 2019.
Under the title Mechanical, the five participating artists will respond through musical composition to the utopian aspirations embodied in Polish Constructivist art, examining its emphasis on geometrical form and modern technology allied with ideal harmonies and a vision to create socially orientated abstract art.
The festival presents specially commissioned works by the Polish artists Zorka Wollny, Wojtek Blecharz and Konrad Smoleński, as well as one by the London-based sound artist Ben McDonnell and the British choral group, Vocal Constructivists.
Curated by Kasia Sobucka, the programme explores theories of Unism, Composing Space, Calculating Space-Time Rhythms and Functionalism, a sonic discourse that includes performances that transform architectural plans and sculptures into musical compositions through voice and electronics; participatory concerts looking at rhythm in sculpture and architecture, as well as site-specific installations.
As with earlier festivals, the performances will be accompanied by an extensive programme of workshops, open rehearsals and lectures, all of which have been devised in partnership with The Courtauld Institute of Art. The event brings together some of Poland’s most exciting visual and sound artists and composers, connecting them with local researchers, academics, architects and a choir.
Says Kasia Sobucka: ‘After a small hiatus, we are delighted to be staging JEMP this year. The current edition brings to London some of the most exciting Polish artists that combine sound, space and architecture in their practice. This year is particularly exciting as the programme is based solely on new commissions centring on the largely unknown theme of Polish Constructivism. Our ambition is to give artists a platform for multidisciplinary experimentation and to support them in creating new and innovative work. I’m very excited to exhibit the work created by the artists as a result of this project to London audiences!’
