Kremsmünster

The installation by the artist, Clemens Bauder, combines organ playing and an ensemble of newly built playground equipment to create a collective musical instrument in a public space. Different organ pipes are operated by swinging and rocking them together - an acoustic space develops in the organ playground making Anton Bruckner (on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth) audible and bringing him to life in both an abstract and playful manner.
The modular SCHORGEL will be set up in 2024 in various Upper Austrian locations with a Bruckner connection as well as at the Upper Austrian summer retreat in Vienna.

STARTING POINT
The history of the SCHORGEL begins with the Bruckner organ and its supply of air in the Old Cathedral in Linz. Anton Bruckner worked as a cathedral organist for thirteen years from 1855. In this time he had the organ adapted in several stages to match his own ideas. As was customary at the time, the air or wind supply to the organ was ensured by a bellows pedal (bellows pedal). To do this, the bellows were drawn up and pressed together by the feet and the entire body weight of the assistant. Before air is blown into the organ pipes, it is collected in a magazine bellows for a continuous supply. This physical momentum of constantly kicking and drawing up the bellows forms the starting point for the artistic work of the "SCHORGEL".

MAKING MUSIC WITH ONE'S WHOLE BODY
If you observe the use of seesaws in playgrounds, the movements can be compared to the activity of bellows treaders. The up and down motion of the seesaw is reminiscent of the alternating pulling up and squeezing together of a scoop. Based on this playful translation of rocking and swinging movements into an air supply for various pipe stops, a collectively operable organ instrument is created. By using several rocking and swinging devices with bellows of different sizes, a soundscape is created in which certain sound modulations only arise through the joint action and reaction to the actions of the other rockers or swingers. It is a game on a collective organ in which all of the participants have to coordinate their actions with those of the others. Experimenting with different rocking or swinging speeds - from the gentle rocking back and forth on a swing to the powerful push-off on the high seesaw - determines the air supply and the ever-changing composition that fills the immediate surroundings with sound.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Clemens Bauder
(*1986 in Linz, lives and works in Linz) studied architecture at the University of Art in Linz and works in the fringe areas of architecture, art and installation. His works range from usable sculptures to experimental spatial installations.

The SCHORGEL is coming to Kremsmünster for the opening ceremony of the new House of Music (Musikheim)!

More information will follow!

A project of the Upper Austrian KulturEXPO Anton Bruckner 2024 with the kind support of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport.

Studio Clemens Bauder | Idea, concept, realisation