HORROR VACUI

A performance given during the HORROR VACUI event organized by Ouros in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity at the Poor Clares monastery in Roubaix.

In its broadest definition, music is tasked with making a multitude of sounds accessible, sounds capable of unfolding within a space defined by its own acoustics. Far removed from the stubborn harshness of its experimental nature, the ambient constancy of its soundscapes, or even the image of noise artists battling their machines (David Novak, Japanoise: Music at the Edge of Circulation, Duke University Press, 2013, p. 159; trans. Catherine Guesde, Noise et Nostalgie, Audimat, 2020), musical experimentation has revealed that concepts linked to the physicality of sound space are also tied to the nature of the space itself, to its very purpose. Though it may displease purists, the church setting offers a completely different perspective on music, ranging from the reverberation inherent in its architecture to the musician’s quest for the mythic and the mystifying, seeking to translate the site’s benediction into emotion. From altar to forecourt, one note settles upon another; successive words blend and fade, while silence is slow to resonate. From forecourt to altar, the space is filled with sound, invaded by noise: Horror Vacui.

In the Holy Trinity Chapel of the Poor Clares monastery, the Ouros association invites us to a sonic experience that fosters a close connection between audience and musicians, all set against the backdrop of a unique monument. Showcasing noise and experimental music, Horror Vacui is a sonic event presenting the musical practices and performances of five artists, filling the chapel space with a tumult of sounds ranging from ambient drones to walls of challenging noise. To begin, Alex Didier invites us to navigate a poetic, noise-based installation where his ambient sounds transcend the act of listening. Next, Victor Villafagne, an artisan of the invisible, invokes concepts of musical perception and the human connection to sound in his piece Phantom Music. Christophe Vaubourg wields cacophony, exploring the depths of his most fantastical sonic structures in his project Radiation, while Clairière, a Dungeon Synth project, conjures voice and instruments to guide us on a journey through a sword-and-sorcery world. Finally, Thomas Moësl takes on the role of a shaman, urging us to move through diverse sonic realms and setting the physical space vibrating with the drone of his modular synths. Beyond its focus on musical experimentation, Horror Vacui forges a bond between artists and audience through a celebration of listening-through-contemplation and contemplation-through-listening.


Text by Ala Chérif
Graphic design by Gaston Bideau