S I G N A

Jacques Remus and Rolf Sudmann started working together in 2001. They first met in Paris and played festivals like EXIT in Creteil, VIA in Maubeuge and Stelzenfestspiele in East Germany. The most fascinating aspect of SIGNA is the fact, that the instruments are purely space controlled. Both, the camera musicale and the theremin are played without touching them, but only by moving hands or arms in space. It's amazing that even classical pieces by Rachmaninov could be played just by 'conducting in the air'.

THE THEREMIN

The theremin is the classical one amongst a variety
of gesture controlled instruments which has been
develloped in recent years. Lew Sergeiwitsch Termen,
physicist and musician, invented his famous instrument
in 1919. It is played by moving your hands around two
antennas. Using the hand capacity in electromagnetic
fields, the right hand is controlling pitch and the left
hand dynamic.




Foto:Karoline Lobeck

THE CAMERA MUSICALE

Beginning in the 1970s many artists developed interactive
video installations. The Camera Musicale is a powerful
instrument, analyzing infrared images of the players arm
movements. By different computer programmings movements
and musical parameters are connected. The player controls
pitch, dynamics, rhythm, speed or expression like the
conductor of a virtual orchestra.


Foto: Jean Pierre Duplan