Chiel and Nicoletta explored the acoustics of the dunes landscape: how sound and space influence and inspire each other. They made a composition together to be sung by all participants, and worked with Horst and Elvira on using the space of the dunes for enhancing the experience for the audience in the centre of the dune bowl.
This is where the birdsong came back into the project. Under leadership of Chad the students made a procession along the path down to the cemetery. Graphic notation was made unto banners by Sjuuls and Jimi. The banners served as 'inspirational scores' for musicians. While walking down together, Sjuuls would make small icons in the path where the procession would stop briefly to contemplate the transition from the transformed bunker to paying our respects to the unknown soldiers in Vredenhof.
Vredenhof, one of the most inspirational and emotional places on the island, turned out to be quite a challenge. Not only to the students on how to deal with this place of death and contemplation, but also because the islanders were (understably!) protective of the respectfulness for Vredenhof. Eventually, with the kind permission of the Vredenhof Foundation, a short and simple ceremony was performed by five musicians in the group: three flutists, a singer, a cellist and a guitarist. They would address the graves of the unknown soldiers and give each of them a voice by means of a short musical theme. It was a beautiful moment, and one of the most profound experiences in the project.
The aim was to make the bunker a lighter, more peaceful place instead of a heavy, agressive icon. A start was made by... a windmill. (Coincidentally the only windmill fabricated on Friday that was purposefully used at a later stage.) Other activities at the bunker included the 'decoration' of the outside of the concrete structure and - more importantly perhaps - a musical production/improvisation inside.
As sparkingly as Thursday ended and Friday began, quite so confusing was the rest of the Friday afternoon. The students threw themselves on making windmills with materials they found on the beach and dead branches from the surrounding bushes. The teachers and researchers stood wonderingly by as a lot of energy and focus was given to producing windmills of all shapes, sizes and materials. It completely transformed the fire station from a 'home base' into a workshop. Of course, this is what happens with laboratories: they are for trying things out.
As Horst Rickels would remark that evening and also the following day: sometimes this kind of creative stagnation is needed in order to contemplate where to go next. It was up to him and Elvira to make sure that the group would come back to their concepts of what to do on the island, and why, and how. A few main projects came out of the reflective talk on Friday morning:
1) The bunker - The bunker Wassermann was built on the highest point of the island during the second world war. It was never used for war purposes but still its inherent meaning was that of war, agression, suffering. The students wanted to change this.
2) Vredenhof - The peaceful cemetery near the bunker holds the graves of many (young) men who died during the first and second world war. Many of the graves do not have names on them but say something like 'inconnu' or 'known unto God'. The students thought it would be appropriate to give these men an identity somehow.
3) The path between the bunker and Vredenhof - How to connect those two places? The idea of a procession was forming.
4) The dunes - The natural environment of the island does not only provide many points of beauty but also acoustic opportunities. The dune bowl that was originally envisaged as a project location was abandoned because swallows were nesting there. A new location was found near the village.
5) The Wad - From mud we are born and to mud we will return. This was the basic idea behind a short performance piece in the muddy Wad to the south of the island.
One clear idea coming from the preparation phase, was to make use of the bird sounds of the island. This is why on Friday morning some of the students went out into the nature park and recorded the sounds of the birds. They were 'translated' into graphic representations by Sjuuls Oonk, a student of Minerva Academy, and in turn served as inspirations for musicians. At this stage it was still not quite clear how the bird song would be used later in the project.
Another idea that prevaled at this stage, was the idea of working with windmills...
