Soledad interrumpida (Interrupted Solitude)

José Luis Alexanco

Madrid, Spain, 1942 - 2021

Luis de Pablo

Bilbao, Spain, 1930 - Madrid, Spain, 2021
  • Date: 
    1971
  • Material: 
    PVC and painted wood panel
  • Technique: 
    Audio recording
  • Descriptive technique: 
    Visual sound spectacle created using rigid and inflatable figures moved by compressed air and accompanied by electronic music
  • Dimensions: 
    Variable dimensions
  • Category: 
    Installation, Performance
  • Entry date: 
    2009
  • Register number: 
    AD05401

This work is the result of the close collaboration between composer Luis de Pablo and artist José Luis Alexanco, and could be understood as the convergence of the experimentations of ALEA, the electroacoustic laboratory headed by Luis de Pablo, and the Computing Centre at the University of Madrid, of which Alexanco was one of the main driving forces and representatives. The authors defined the piece as "plastic-sound", which today would be labelled performance. Originally it consisted of one hundred and forty identical figures designed by Alexanco, with certain anthropomorphic qualities, into which he mechanically blew compressed air to set them in motion. Thus, Alexanco transferred his aesthetic approach to the stage, having previously tested it at the Computing Centre using computer routines. Simultaneously, random light beams and individual projections were distributed throughout the dimly lit scene, with several overlapping stereo tapes of electronic music, composed by Luis de Pablo, played, enveloping the space in sound.
It premiered in Buenos Aires in 1971, originally at the invitation of the Instituto di Tella, although its sudden closure resulted in a change of venue. It was later performed in other cities including Pamplona, Paris, Quebec, Ottawa and Munich. Its last performance was in New York (1980), specifically at The Kitchen. In each of these cities the performance took place in diverse types of locations (museums, derelict buildings, churches or universities), giving the work different forms, meanings and connotations in each place. The current installation, supervised by the artists, retains its original spirit of an open work.

Lola Hinojosa

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