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Lambert Crickxstraat 30
1070 Brussels, Belgium
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Two Times 4’33”

Manon de Boer

35mm/video installation, color, 4:3, stereo, BE, 2008, 10’

De Boer invited the Brussels-based pianist Jean-Luc Fafchamps to play John Cage’s eponymous composition 4’33” twice in front of a live audience in a studio space of the P.A.R.T.S. (The Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) in Brussels. Once, with one single still take, the camera films his execution of the ‘silent’ musical composition, complete with the three punctuations indicated on Cage’s simple line score at 1’40”, 2’23” and 30”, which the otherwise still and absorbed Fafchamps interprets by striking a timer. Filmed on 35 mm film, which ensures palpable visual detail, this first part is married to its synchronously recorded ambient sound, which is played in Dolby surround when the work is projected. For the second performance, and the second part of her film, De Boer cut all sound, interjecting only with the timer’s click at 1’40” and 2’23” and 30” into the 4’33” filmed performance. The camera travels in a long pan that begins where the first section does, at Fafchamps, but then moves steadily along every member of his audience and finally travels outside the studio door to show a parochial landscape at the edge of the city centre cut through by telephone wires and animated by wind-blown bushes. None of this is heard. Viewed in a cinema setting, the second performance, and the second part of the projected film relies on the ambient silence of the live audience. (Monika Szewczyk)

Two Times 4’33” received a special mention in the international competition at International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (DE).

Music 4’33” composed by John Cage
Performed by Jean-Luc Fafchamps
Image Sébastien Koeppel
Sound recording Aline Blondiau
Sound editing Aline Blondiau & Gilles Bénardeau
Editing Julien Sigalas
Final sound mixing Gilles Bénardeau (Alea Jacta Production)
Executive producer Marie Logie
Produced by Auguste Orts
Co-produced by the 5th berlin biennial for contemporary art
With the support of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund

Two Times 4’33” has been on display at the following locations:

Mori Art Museum Tokyo, (JP) Apr 19–Jul 4 2023 Art Cinema OFFoff Gent, (BE) Monday, Apr 11 2022 Kunstmuseum Bonn, (DE) May 27–Sep 5 2021 Calouste Gulbenkian Museum Lisbon, (PT) Saturday, Feb 1 2020 National Gallery Prague, (CZ) Sep 20 2019–Jan 5 2020 Art Center Beirut, (LB) Apr 17–Jun 30 2019 Compagnietheater Amsterdam, (NL) Thursday, Mar 8 2018 Flagey Brussel, (BE) Feb 1–Feb 4 2018 La Cambre Brussel, (BE) Thursday, Nov 30 2017 Minsheng Art Museum Shanghai, (CN) May 9–Jul 30 2017 CAST Helston, (GB) Friday, Sep 30 2016 Biennale Taipei, (TW) Sep 10 2016–Feb 5 2017 Tabakalera San Sebastian, (ES) Sep 11 2015–Jan 3 2016 PostX Merelbeke, (BE) Friday, Mar 27 2015 Cinematek Brussel, (BE) Monday, Oct 20 2014 Cinematek Brussel, (BE) Friday, Oct 17 2014 Cinematek Brussel, (BE) Thursday, Oct 16 2014 Le Fresnoy Tourcoing, (FR) Monday, Oct 6 2014 FRAC Besancon, (FR) Tuesday, Jun 3 2014 Les Nuits Sonores, Ecole des beaux arts Lyon, (FR) May 2–Jun 2 2013 École des Arts Braine l'Alleud, (BE) Wednesday, Apr 24 2013 Art Museum Berkeley, (US) Jan 30–Apr 28 2013 Cité de la musique Paris, (FR) Saturday, Dec 15 2012 Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, (JP) Oct 27 2012–Feb 3 2013 Kölnischer Kunstverein Keulen, (DE) Monday, Oct 8 2012 Cinematek Brussel, (BE) Thursday, Sep 20 2012 HMKV at the Dortmunder U Dortmund, (DE) Aug 25 2012–Jan 6 2013 The Menil Collection Houston, (US) Jul 27–Oct 21 2012 Museum der Moderne Mönchsberg Salzburg, (AT) Jul 14–Oct 7 2012 Museum of Art Knoxville, (US) Mar 16–May 20 2012 Peuple & Culture Marseille, (FR) Thursday, Feb 9 2012 Le 102 Grenoble, (FR) Tuesday, Feb 7 2012 Brick + Mortar International Video Art Festival Massachusetts, (US) Oct 14–Oct 15 2011 Etats Généraux du Documentaire Lussas, (FR) Aug 23–Aug 26 2011 La Casa Encendida Madrid, (ES) Jun 28–Sep 11 2011 Marco Monterrey, (MX) Jun 23–Sep 25 2011 Loop Festival, La Pedrera Barcelona, (ES) Monday, May 2 2011 MASIN Museo de Arte de Sinaloa Sinaloa, (MX) Feb 25–Jun 5 2011 Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, (US) Jan 21–May 1 2011 Hörsensible Uni Oldenburg, (DE) Thursday, Jan 20 2011 Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo Sevilla, (ES) Oct 28 2010–Mar 6 2011 h-ear Heerlen, (NL) Sunday, Oct 3 2010 Musée départemental d'art contemporain Rochechouart, (FR) Jul 3–Oct 18 2010 Springdance Utrecht, (NL) Apr 20–Apr 25 2010 Zebrastraat Gent, (BE) Apr 16–Jun 20 2010 Worm Rotterdam, (NL) Friday, Apr 2 2010 Frac Lorraine Metz, (FR) Feb 25–Apr 18 2010 Festival du court-métrage Namur, (BE) Friday, Nov 13 2009 Les Ecrans Documentaires Arcueil, (FR) Friday, Oct 30 2009 Curtas Vila do Conde Vila do Conde, (PT) Thursday, Jul 9 2009 Les Rencontres Internationales Berlin, (DE) Friday, Jul 3 2009 Cinémathèque Française Paris, (FR) Monday, May 25 2009 Media City Festival Ontario, (CA) Saturday, May 23 2009 Ludlow 38 New York, (US) May 3–Jun 21 2009 The Renaissance Society Chicago, (US) Apr 26–Jun 7 2009 European Media Art Festival Osnabruck, (DE) Saturday, Apr 25 2009 Les Rencontres Internationales Madrid, (ES) Thursday, Apr 23 2009 Underdox Munchen, (DE) Saturday, Apr 4 2009 Transmediale Berlin, (DE) Friday, Jan 30 2009 IFFR Rotterdam, (NL) Jan 25–Jan 26 2009 Mona Foma Tasmania, (AU) Jan 10–Feb 1 2009 Festival de la radio et de l’écoute Brest, (FR) Saturday, Dec 6 2008 Les Rencontres Internationales Paris, (FR) Tuesday, Dec 2 2008 zwergWERK Oldenburg, (DE) Saturday, Nov 29 2008 Filmer à Tout Prix, Botanique Brussels, (BE) Saturday, Nov 22 2008 Leeds International Film Festival Leeds, (GB) Thursday, Nov 13 2008 Platform Seoul, (KR) Oct 25–Nov 23 2008 Urania, Viennale Vienna, (AT) Oct 23–Oct 24 2008 Underdox Festival Munich, (DE) Oct 4–Oct 5 2008 Tate Modern London, (GB) Wednesday, Oct 1 2008 actOral Festival international des arts et écritures contemporaines Marseille, (FR) Sep 30–Oct 11 2008 Pecci Museum of Prato Florence, (IT) Aug 28–Sep 14 2008 Mönschberg Museum der Moderne Salzburg, (AT) Jul 19–Oct 12 2008 FID Marseille, (FR) Jul 2–Jul 6 2008 International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, (DE) Tuesday, May 6 2008 Flagey Brussels, (BE) Sunday, Apr 27 2008 Courtisane, Vooruit & Boekentoren Ghent, (BE) Apr 23–Apr 26 2008 Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art Berlin, (DE) Apr 5–Jun 15 2008