Commission to Maximilian Marcoll

The concert program GRIDS is a collaboration between Pony Says and composers Maximilian Marcoll and Robert Canning, pushing the boundaries of traditional concert formats by blending digital, spatial and geopolitical elements.

In NUT | LAC 5, Maximilian Marcoll breaks the traditional concert grid by creating a walkable performance space. Pony Says performs at three different positions, using analogue and digital synthesizers synchronized by click tracks to produce drone-like soundscapes. The sound is digitally chopped into pulses and amplified through loudspeakers, creating a sonic experience that changes depending on the audience’s movement through the space. The performance lasts 30-45 minutes, inviting the audience to experience sound from various perspectives. The commission to Maximilian Marcoll is made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Robert Canning’s 6-inch to the Mile critically examines the 19th-century surveying of his native land, Ireland, in which historical names and sources of cultural heritage were wiped from the map. He contrasts these sources with modern mapping technology like Google Maps. Canning uses the resulting fragmented maps as a live-generated digital score, which guides the performance and is visible to the audience. The sound, created by electronically altered guitar, keyboard and drums, evokes glitch and noise music. This piece lasts around 20 minutes and critiques the recurrent usage of maps as an instrument of power.

GRIDS reimagines the concert experience, moving away from conventional structures and embracing the unpredictability of extended, experimental performances.

Further Information:
ponysays.de

Dates

April 24, 2025
Project Arts Centre Dublin

May 22, 2025
“COBL” Kiel