In space, there is no gravity as we know it, and there is no sound, so we are free to imagine it.

Helios & Selene (Part 1) is a three-dimensional theatre piece for sound. The sound material is quivering and nervous, giving it a sense of airy instability, and it unfolds as characters lounging on a three-dimensional stage in space in the interplay between sunlight and the shadow of the moon.

Yet the sound material has a palpable physical element, and despite its celestial anchors, this is a movement-based piece that can be felt by the human body on Earth. The dialectic between opposites is a constant source of creative tension for me; in the case of Helios & Selene (Part 1), it unfolds in the form of a dialogue between the sun and the moon, as well as between the body-centered human being and limitless outer space.

To create the fluid sound constructions for Helios & Selene (Part 1), it was necessary to conceive space differently, without gravity. This was made possible by a residency at the Métamorphoses d’Orphée studio of Musiques & Recherches (Ohain, Belgium) in October 2024. The initial sound material comes from Productions Totem contemporain in Montréal (Québec), from field recordings made in the summer of 2024, and from earlier recordings made in Istanbul (Türkiye) and in the studio.

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Helios & Selene (Part 1) was realized in 2024 at the Métamorphoses d’Orphée studio of Musiques & Recherches in Ohain (Belgium) and at the composer’s studio in Brussels (Belgium), and premiered on December 18, 2024 in the Fondation Annette Vande Gorne — Concert 2 at Le Senghor in Brussels. Helios & Selene (Part 1) was commissioned by Musiques & Recherches and was composed with support from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles — Service des musiques. Thanks to Annette Vande Gorne for her support.

Premiere

• December 18, 2024, Fondation Annette Vande Gorne — Concert 2, Le Senghor, Brussels (Belgium)