La fête à bruit – Art & politics of Improvisation
Art is political because it brings people together. It opens up perspectives and addresses current issues. The obvious as well as the hidden, subliminal ones.
Improvised music, process-oriented, anarchic and unconventional, can create areas of tension in our social system, open up spaces and connect people across borders with its vitality. Its message is in itself highly explosive and still revolutionary. However, it can also slip into a niche, appear aloof and inaccessible if it is not linked to a lively discourse. This is precisely where curators and organisers are needed who act like integrators, are sensitive to local conditions and able to interest their audience.
With their festival, Jonas Kocher and his Bruit team have created an extraordinary platform on which much was possible both culturally and humanly. Improvisation as an artistic, social, philosophical and political force. Wow. In my opinion, the Bruit team really succeeded in creating this big arc.
We were 13 musicians. And we weren’t invited with our projects, but as artists and people. And that was the crucial point. 4 days time, 13 musicians, and then curators and speakers who explained the political and social contexts in a courageous, visionary and committed way. There was room for discussion and understanding. I often had the feeling of getting out of my own head. Many ideas really began to work inside me and I was always surrounded by people with whom I could really share these discourses. Evening after evening, Jonas Kocher’s Resonating Gurzelen was performed first, with all the musicians, as well as the guest artists from Biel, Lea Krebs (visual artist) and Arthur Rubin (author), making the entire terrain of Gurzelen vibrate with its lively activity. And then came the concerts. First a solo performance with musicians from Biel and then, every evening, new bands made up of musicians from the residence.
I was able to listen to and play such beautiful music during these four days. I took home such wonderful encounters. So many new ideas want to grow in me. The Fête gave me courage. The courage to think in new ways and to keep going. It also made me realise how many people are looking for exactly what sets me in motion. And I was also impressed by the wonderful, large audience that accompanied us through these days and shared the event with us.
The Lumpenstation with Andrea Marioni was also there. Check it out.
A big thank you to the Bruit team. You do super valuable work!
https://bruit-asso.org/la-fete-a-bruit
photos by Simone Haug
