'' Nucleus, Underwater Concert | A history of performance art on the Riviera from 1951 until now

Nucleus, Underwater Concert

Series: 
Festival MANCA (Musique Actuelles Nice Côte d’Azur)
Creator: 
Michel Redolfi
Performer: 
Michel Redolfi
Alex Grillo
Producer: 
Michel Redolfi
Website: 
//www.musique-subaquatique.com
Theoretical background: 
A concert to be listened to underwater, in the middle of the prehistoric Terra Amata cove (the Coco Beach cove) to collectively experience hearing through bone resonance. Two prototypes of underwater percussion instruments were placed in the water. Performance by soloist Alex Grillo, specially trained to play these instruments in a diving suit.
Occurence: 

Vidéo de la performance

Michel Cinque
Synopsis / Description: 
Vidéo de la performance
Performances: 
Nucleus, Underwater Concert

Bande son format mp3 et CD

Synopsis / Description: 
Bande son format mp3 et CD
REDOLF
Objets: 

Percuteurs « Nucleus », tenue en néoprène du performer.

Technique description référence: 
Percuteurs « Nucleus », tenue en néoprène du performer.
Documents: 

Programme, Affiches et catalogue des MANCA

Type: 
Imprimé
Technique description référence: 
Programme, Affiches et catalogue des MANCA
REDOLF

Nice Matin 8 et 9 juillet 1989

Type: 
Presse
Technique description référence: 
Nice Matin 8 et 9 juillet 1989
REDOLF

Lettres officielles des affaires maritimes, notes d'intention, schémas & plans, dessins préparatoires en couleur.

Type: 
Manuscrit
Technique description référence: 
Lettres officielles des affaires maritimes, notes d'intention, schémas & plans, dessins préparatoires en couleur.
REDOLF
Témoignage: 
Michel Redolfi | Nucleus, concert subaquatique, 1989
Description: 
The seaside avenue Franck Pilatte, a cove facing the Théodore de Banville Gardens. The avenue was closed off to cars so that the spectators could walk to the concert.
Municipal and maritime authorities had allowed the organization of an underwater concert and keeping boats at a distance. The fisherman's union had agreed to avoid placing fishing nets in the cove on the morning of 8 July.

The technical installation started at dawn: the installation of underwater cables for an underwater sound system via eight big transducers fastened to floaters and connected to a central control space above the cove. A vertical metalphone with bronze keys by Sacha Sosno was installed ten meters underwater. A second instrument was also placed in the water, a vibraphone-raft that could be played in a diving suit from below and made by René Traverso, the chief decorator of the Nice theater. This keyboard was amplified by micro-contacts connected to the underwater sound system.

The audience started arriving at 11 AM and immersed themselves (or floated and swam ) in the sounds of Nucleus, a mixture of pre-recorded music and underwater acoustic percussions played by Alex Grillo. The title of the work referred to the name given by pre-historians to the flint carved by humans in this very same place 400,000 years ago. The executant was holding two reproductions of a nucleus, which he was using to play on the resonating bronze.

Alex alternately played sets on the bronze portico and on the keyboard raft. They lasted about 25 minutes with resting periods from 45 minutes to an hour. During these breaks Michel proceeded to electrical-underwater mixing.

An estimated 500 participants jumped into the water to join the performance in the course of the day, with a peak between 3 and 6 PM.

It ended at 7:30 PM, with a great many people still in the water. But because of the MANCA Festival program, Michel had to introduce Irène Jarsky’s recital at the Francis Gag theater in the old Nice at 9 PM.
''