Ictus: Fabio Machiavelli

“First we shape our tools and then they shape us.” (John M. Culkin) In Machiavelli’s work, (re)shaping is key. For several years now, the core of his artistic practice has been rooted in new lutherie, DIY practices as compositional processes, and the development of new instruments as alternative sound surfaces and their implications — like many composers of his generation. In this sense, the instrumental apparatuses, objects, technologies, and concepts he creates unfold as active participants in a transformative musical practice. Micro Breaths of a Blue Lung engages with the vocal, percussive, and resonant dimensions of large marine mammals. The piece — a 45-minute architecture composed of numerous miniatures — investigates the timbral characteristics of cetacean sounds, which echo within his instrumental devices. During the concert, the instruments are brought to life through interaction with the performers, but they can also be approached before and after the concert as stand-alone objects, unfolding an independent sonic existence.