Children’s Games

Since 1999, Belgian-born Francis Alÿs has traveled the world to capture the universal sight of children at play. His thirty-nine films, spanning from Mexico City to Kathmandu, Nepal, and a Yezidi refugee camp in Iraq, offer a blend of realism and poetic vision. Through his lens, Alÿs depicts children continuing to play, even in the face of political unrest and adversity.

Supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the project Children’s Games by Cikada presents an installation concert based on these short films, alongside the commissioning of four new works by composers Aleksandra Gryka, Angélica Castello, Kim Myhr and Pierre Slinckx. In collaboration with Alÿs, the composers will create music that reflects the themes and atmosphere of the films—seeking a balance between playfulness and seriousness, and resulting in fluid, layered soundscapes.

The commissioned pieces will be integrated within the films themselves, as well as performed before or after screenings. Each performance will feature two to three of the composers.

This project, initiated by Cikada and the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival, additionally collaborates with Warsaw Autumn, Wien Modern and Concertgebouw Brugge. Children’s Games offers an adult perspective on the lives of children, raising the question: can music help capture the essence of play, bridging the gap between everyday moments of joy and the underlying conflicts of our world?

Further Information:
cikada.no

Dates

September 18, 2025
Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival

September 20, 2025
Warsaw Autumn

November 7, 2025
Wien Modern

March 7, 2026
Concertgebouw Brugge