Performance - Nine Bells by Jennifer Torrence (USA/NO)

As a minimalist composer, Thomas Johnson found inspiration in the ideas of ancient and early modern mathematicians and philosophers, and collaborated with contemporary mathematicians, while incorporating theatrical and visual elements in his work. Nine Bells, written in 1979, opens the door to a compositional style based on these procedures. Johnson created the work as a maze of nine suspended bells that the performer hits while walking around a three-by-three square, following paths that vary according to a system of geometrical logic (cloverleaf, figure-eight, circle, diagonal, oval, rectangle).

“When I think about Nine Bells I think about paths, trajectories, lines. It's not so much about arriving at the bell and hitting it at the right time, (an activity also known as percussion logistics), so much as it is about the traveling between. Literally the steps taken. Walking is famously one of the most difficult things to do on stage. Feel free to experience this performance sitting, standing, lying down. Feel free to move.” - Jennifer Torrence.

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Jennifer Torrence is an experimental musician based in Oslo. Her practice includes percussion/performance, artistic research, collaborative projects, curation, composition and teaching. Her practice is built upon collaborative, performative, and multimedia work, and explores themes such as the body, noise, precariousness, queerness, and collective making. In addition to solo and collaborative projects, Jennifer is associate professor II of percussion at the Norwegian Academy of Music, a member of the Norwegian ensemble Pinquins and is the former principal percussionist of the Arctic Philharmonic.