In Situ Ens.

In Situ Ens.: «London = North» (2024, UA)

Based on a drawing by Adolf Wölfli, an electro-acoustic sextet embarks on a wild journey of adventure, full of longings, but also crashes.

In 1910, Adolf Wölfli inscribed “London North” on one of his multifaceted drawings, which also contained musical notes. In such sheets (over 25,000 have survived) he wanted to reshape the world and life. He thus invented a spectacular childhood and a glorious future for himself in the Waldau psychiatric hospital near Bern.

The drawing, with its numerous graphic and textual elements, including maps and narratives, serves the In Situ Ens. as a starting point for a musical exploration. The electro-acoustic, international sextet, a filigree multi-cellular ensemble whose sound is as explosive as it is deep and beautiful, uses it to create its own improvisation concept, including a new score.

This world premiere shows Wölfli’s work in all its facets. What does it mean to be artistically active in years of isolation? How can an arrested explosive force be described musically? It will be a wild adventure that takes us to places of longing (London=North) of bliss, but also to Wölfli’s crashes.