AUDIENCE OBSERVATIONS - live performance


as lecture-performance together with Rudi Laermans at Marres, Maastricht, 2017 (photo: Rob.van.Hoorn)

live observations & commenting during concerts, 2011 - ongoing


Video of the first observation in the Singel, Antwerp, 30 September 2011.

'Audience Observations' is an ongoing project. The concept is used to produce works and knowledge on the performative qualities of audiences in theaters, concert halls  and elsewhere. It goes along with thoughts and works on the relation between public spaces and the space of the public: both places of  performing forces.


'Audience Observations' contains the following works until now:


selection of recent performances:
related works:

with Rudi Laermans at Marres, Maastricht, 2017 (photo: Rob.van.Hoorn)

premiere at De Single, Antwerp, 2011

Introduction speech:

"Good evening, my name is David Helbich and I am your audience interventionist and tonights AUDIENCE OBSERVER.

Which means, that I will  for the sake of my research on audience behaviors observe you through out the evening from this position and I will report some of my observations at one point later in the evening to share with you what I found out.

I do this for your own good. My mission is to accentuate the roll of an audience in a concert situation like this.  I call this Keine-Pause, No Break or Geen Pause, because I think that nothing can really interrupt the experience of a concert as a whole.

So, I'll observe you during the pieces and between the pieces.

The program book contains an alternative set of PROGRAM NOTES. As you might have seen already, the notes are not about the particular compositions, but about the changes between the pieces and things which are also part of this concert, even though you can't hear them.

Following the convention, it is time for your first clapping for the entrance of the pianist."



PROGRAM NOTES : link to pdf of the program notes for the performance in the Single, Antwerp



The first Audience Observations was part of "KEINE-PAUSE / NO BREAK: audience observations and alternative program notes", a performance concept, commisioned by, premiered and created for the extended piano recital '492kg' by Frederik Croene, who played - while I watched -  pieces by Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri, Falk Hübner, Laura Maes, Stefan Prins, Simon Steen-Andersen, Matthew Shlomowitz and Cathy van Eyck during the tour 2011 at De Singel (Antwerp),  Concertgebouw (Brugges),  November Music (Den Bosch), Intro in Situ (Maastricht).
  

 

instrumental compositions & co.

Album NYH

Album