“Eye in the sky” for electric guitar and 2 percussionists
A deep dive into the Blue Brain Project of the EPFL Blue Brain Project
(Campus Biotech – Chemin des Mines 9, CH–1202 Geneva)
May 19, 20,2024
Nadav Lev – guitar, Tomer Yariv, Lior Tal – percussions
Tremolo Center Nathania, Studio Anette, Tel Aviv
About the piece “Eye in the sky”
When I was thinking about the piece for electric guitar with percussion, I came up with an idea to write a piece with video. I wanted to look for special ideas for the video, to find something that speaks to the “inside” of a being.
In my musical material I decided to go “inside” instruments and sound, explore all kinds of special ways of playing to get new timbres, as if looking at the instrument through the microscope.
Therefore, to find inspiration, I started looking for the “inside” in all kinds of videos on YouTube and by chance I discovered the amazing brain research project from Switzerland Blue Brain Project.
I wrote to the management of the project with the request for cooperation. To my great joy, they answered me, we met via Zoom, and I received the video from them – “Neurones. Les intelligences simulees” which shows the spectacular images of the activity of different neurons in the brain of a mouse. This video was made especially for an exhibition at the Pompidou Museum in Paris.
I was very impressed by the video which is made like a work of art. The colors, the rhythm, the texture, lines, different spaces – all this greatly influenced the writing of the piece.
The piece is written freely, without bar lines, the musicians play according to “musical episodes” that “depend” on the video. Each musical episode changes together with the change of video themes. I worked on the piece in collaboration with the musicians. Together with the guitarist Nadav Lev we chose certain effects from thousands of possible effects through different pedals for the guitar. I also met with a percussionist – Tomer Yariv, we worked with different instruments, we explored special possibilities of playing them.
I went through a real journey in the process of writing the piece, a journey inside the “neurons” of musical and visual arts.