with Justine Grillet and Bent Von Bent & Sjoerd Leijten

During the months of July and August, venue Het Bos hosts musical residencies in their great concert room. Every week a new promising talent, every week another exciting outcome. Het Bos will document the residencies in different ways. Think pictures, think interviews, think showcases and many more. Justine Grillet is the 3rd resident, followed this week by Bent Von Bent & Sjoerd Leijten.
We have both in our studio this evening. Justine will bring the result of the residency to the show, Bent Von Bent & Sjoerd Leijten will talk about the ideas they are exploring together this week.

Justine Grillet

This young visual artist / musician makes sculptures of ceramic and steel and knows how to extract unique sounds from them. These form the basis for the wonderful music she makes.
The steel constructions made by Justine, also serve as a support for her electronic equipment and thus become a kind of scenography for her performances. She uses her residence at Het Bos to work on a new album that she would like to have ready in September.
Check out her Het Bos residency page here.

https://justinegrillet.bandcamp.com

pic Justine Grillet credit: Philipp Orsenberg // pic residency (below) credit: Lina Van Hulle

Bent Von Bent & Sjoerd Leijten

This residence is an audiovisual research in communication & accompaniment in music.

As a preliminary investigation and one of the first steps in the creation process of a ‘cellphone novel’ themed opera by Bent Von Bent, Sjoerd Leijten & Bent Von Bent will research the possibilities of creating visual scores as well as designing a communicative and interactive lay-out. These scores could function as a visual navigation for improvising, performing musicians and singers. An attempt to organically enhance communication between musicians and music itself.

BIO’S

Bent Von Bent is a Belgian composer, releasing music under the pseudonym of Ōgon Batto.

Besides working as a visual artist around archiving systems and collections, he is also the co-runner of the Hare Akedod label, together with David Edren aka DSR Lines. Following his debut release, Von Bent started working on his second album ‘Hedoro’, meaning “slime” or “chemical ooze”. This record was released on Aguirre Records in 2018. Two follow-up records are to be released on the legendary labels Kerm and Ultra Eczema, later this year. Right now, Von Bent is working on a 5th solo album and a dramatic ‘cellphone opera’ project, for which preparations will start during a residence at Het Bos.

Bent is highly fascinated by Japanese traditional and contemporary culture ever since he first visited the country. Mixing his European background with these Japanese influences, he shifts easily between abstract electronic tracks and pieces with a more classical orchestration and/or Japanese tool kit. In his work, music stories – mostly entirely composed with synthesizers – are reduced to a collection of short-term situations and drama, reminiscent of videogame soundtracks, with space for diversity, suggestion and imagination.

https://ogonbatto.bandcamp.com

Sjoerd Leijten is a musician, sound artist and radio maker with a focus on dissident sounds, improvisation and politics. His compositions and performances often include home-baked software, field recordings and non-western tunings. His uncompromising, experimental solo debut ‘Minnowahaw’ was just released on OGGY Records as cassette and digital release.

Sjoerd makes music and sound for movies, radioplays and video games. He makes ‘guerilla style’ media bicycle performances and organizes art bicycle expeditions – in which the environment is explored through performances. Together with Jo Caimo he hosts the radio show ‘trashkot’ on Radio Centraal in Antwerp and together with writer / researcher Roel Griffioen he makes the podcast ‘TRASHLINIE’ about urban and metropolitan issues in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Together with Liew Niyomkarn, Inne Eysermans and Jo Caimo he runs the artist run space toitoiDrome in Borgerhout – a space for experimental performances and critical thinking.

More info at: www.sjoerdleijten.nl

Summer music residencies at Het Bos

During the months of July and August, venue Het Bos hosts musical residencies in their great concert room. Every week a new promising talent, every week another exciting outcome. Het Bos will document the residencies in different ways. Think pictures, think interviews, think showcases and many more. These folks will be hosted by Het Bos during summer:
Clara Lissens
, Toolbox
, Justine Grillet
, Bent Vande Sompele & Sjoerd Leijten
, Witchtrail, 
Simon Beeckaert
, Vlerk
, Monomono
, Bepotel.