Concert at "ISSUE Project Room" in Brooklyn New York on Nov. 18th
Music by Logos Women (Francoise Vanhecke and Moniek Darge).

Moniek Darge from the Belgian Logos Foundation has been soundscaping since the '70s. Her soundscapes try to paint an aural picture of different locations in the world. Recently she has also created collective soundscape compositions with other female composers.

At the ISSUE Project Room in NYC she will present some of these works.
The 3 days Issue festival (Nov. 17-18-19) features also work of Fluxus artist Alison Knowles, with whom Moniek collaborated already during the 80ies and the New Zealand soundscaper Annea Lockwood, about whom Moniek published an article for Gynaika.
The Logos Women concert of the 18th will also feature Francoise Vanhecke and guest, Kye editor and soundscaper Graham Lambkin.

The most recent soundscape of Moniek (2011) brings sounds from Tamil Nadu in India and evokes the aural worlds of nature, rituals, commercial music and traffic. The composition, a commission by Issue Project Room, was made possible with the support of the Flemish government.

Another soundscape composition she will present is a collective work with singer, composer Francoise Vanhecke. They will perform "East Crete, Mother Goddess", which is entirely compiled of sounds from Crete.

"East Crete. Mother Goddess" 2008-2009

After soundscaping for some years in south west Crete with mainly nature sounds as the result, we decided to try our chances in the better-known part of the island.
We settled down on the east coast and started our sound hunting... you'll hear the result.

The project is part of a larger artist event called Levka Ori, which takes place yearly in Crete. Artists from different media come together and what started off as a landart intitiative has become an intermedia event. The central location is a site high in the mountains which we named Magnesia, after Plato's famous Magnesia, attracting people to build a kind of utopian society. When standing on Magnesia all you hear is wind and you have a 360 degree-wide view of the mountains around. Quite an impressive experience.
We have tried to evoke the atmosphere of the island with sounds and recall the ancient hope for a utopian society.

At ISSUE Moniek will also present her latest CD with soundscapes. It appeared on the American Kye label. It's a remake of her first solo LP "Sounds of Sacred Places". In most ethnic cultures, sacred places serve an important social function. "Sounds of Sacred Places" attempts to transform the listener into a living witness of the sounds of similar places in our surrounding culture.

www.issueprojectroom.org

With the support of the Flemish Government

The Logos Women - De Logos Vrouwen

The Logos Women are a flexible group of composers, performers, singers and musicians linked to the Logos Foundation. Using soundscapes (often made collectively) and many non-conventional instrumental and vocal techniques, they aim for intriguing play that produces a tight web of fascinating sound colours.

The group was founded by multi-disciplinary performer Moniek Darge and includes Françoise Vanhecke (composition and voice), Barbara Buchowiec (composition and viola), Marian De Schryver (dance, performance), Karin De Fleyt (flute), Gerd Jeurissen, Kati Couck and Helen White. It has collected sounds, composed and performed in Belgium, Crete, Britain, France, Italy, India, Japan, China and Brazil.

At the core of the LOGOS WOMEN's playing lies the interaction between the different members of the group, the way they musically react to one another. The interaction can range from imitation, through contrast to negation. Thus a broad set of possible responses to one another unfolds itself, which is a necessary condition to achieve an exciting 'musical conversation'. During numerous rehearsals the LOGOS WOMEN have grown accustomed to a common musical vocabulary and to each others musical personalities.

With this knowledge as a common ground they achieve on stage a non-verbal dialogue. During performance a spontaneous macro structure is developed, without any prior agreements. The motto being: listening to one another with open ears and acute sense of observation and to react to one another alertly. Using as many nonconventional instrumental techniques, they strive towards an intrigating play, whereby all sorts of new sounds are produced with traditional instruments. This produces a tight web of fascinating sound colours. Not melody, nor rhythm are central in this sort of interactional improvisation, although short rhythmical passages or tiny melodic fragments are not excluded.

The Logos Women at Perfomedia

Ponte Nossa, Italy, June 2011

Photo: Aron Szierkiewicz

Performance at the Logos Tetrahedron on August 30th, 2010

Moniek Darge, Françoise Vanhecke, Barbara Buchowiec

FraMon

Françoise Vanhecke en Moniek Darge

Colour Out of Space Festival 2009, Brighton.


Reactions:

Ro Cemm (UK): "I just wanted to drop you a quick note of thanks for your show at Colour Out Of Space this weekend past. It was my highlight of the festival."

Adris Hoyos & Graham Lambkin (USA-NY): "A friend of mine who attended the festival said you were a standout act"

Singer Françoise Vanhecke and performer Moniek Darge, the founder of the group, work together in many different ways. Firstly as soundscapers, for example with their collective composition "East Crete, Mother Goddess", which is entirely compiled of sounds from Crete.

"East Crete. Mother Goddess" 2008-2009

After soundscaping for some years in south west Crete with mainly nature sounds as the result, we decided to try our chances in the better-known part of the island.

We settled down on the east coast and started our sound hunting... you'll hear the result.

The project is part of a larger artist event called Levka Ori, which takes place yearly in Crete. Artists from different media come together and what started off as a landart intitiative has become an intermedia event. The central location is a site high in the mountains which we named Magnesia, after Plato's famous Magnesia, attracting people to build a kind of utopian society. When standing on Magnesia all you hear is wind and you have a 360 degree-wide view of the mountains around. Quite an impressive experience.

We have tried to evoke the atmosphere of the island with sounds and recall the ancient hope for a utopian society.

Moniek Darge and Françoise Vanhecke also collaborate as vocal improvisors. At the core of the LOGOS WOMEN's playing lies the interaction between the different musicians, the way they musically react to one another. Thus they achieve on stage a non-verbal dialogue. During the performance a spontaneous macro structure is developed, without any prior agreements. The motto being: listening to one another with open ears and acute sense of observation and reactubg to one another alertly. This produces a tight web of fascinating sound colours. Neither melody nor rhythm are central in this sort of interactional improvisation.

They also perform sound poetry: "Kasik" is the title of a poem based on Turkish words and sounds. Moniek Darge wrote it inspired by the sounds of the language of her many Turkish neighbours.

And last, but not least, the duo perform with Moniek Darge's music boxes

For bio's and more info, please visit our websites:
http://www.logosfoundation.org/index-mon.html
http://www.francoisevanhecke.com

FraMon at The Bijloke Concert Hall Gent during a Music Box Performance:


Samenwerking SMAK - LOGOS

Suchan Kinoshita is een Japanse beeldende kunstenares die een geluidentafel maakte. Deze tafel werd aangekocht door het SMAK.

Stichting Logos werd aangesproken om de tafel tot klinken te brengen. BasiaMo nam tijdens de vernissage van de tentoonstelling het bespelen van Kinoshita's tafel voor hun rekening. Ook Kristof Lauwers en Hans Roels hebben af en toe de tafel bespeeld.

BasiaMo

BasiaMo is the viola violin duo Barbara Buchowiec and Moniek Darge.

The MoKa women

 

Moniek Darge (violin, voice) and Karin De Fleyt(flute).

This duo released a CD together: <CyClic> by the MoKa women. It is the first CD on the Logos Public Domain label, devoted to royalty-free music.
Donations to the emancipation of humankind.

In the past Geertrui Van Hoorde (violin), the Texas violinist Jane Henry, Nicole Ledegen (voice) and Tine Hofman (voice/acting) Francesca Verbauwhede (violin) and Ann Vancoillie (violin) have also participated in the Logos women.

The Logos Women were featured in Gonzo 100

The Logos Women are also mentioned in the book by Simonne Claeys ",Het Tweede Thema", of de verwaarloosde geschiedenis van de componerende vrouw, Alamire, 2002, ISBN 90-6853-150-6. This book brings us a fascinating and well written history of women composers in the western world, starting from the middle ages and up to today. The book can be ordered directly from the editor, Alamire (160 p., 18,95 Euro, ordernr. LUG12) or purchased at the Logos Foundation.

Read the chapter about Moniek (in Flemish)

Visit Moniek Darge's homepage

Back to Logos Foundation start page

Send an e-mail

Last updated on July 31, 2011 by