ablation

The accordion, like any object, holds a collective memory: an accumulation of individual stories, historical and cultural memories intertwined over time. But what happens when this object is dismantled? At what stage of erosion does the instrument cease to be physically itself and become something else?

The project originates from the individual memory and family heritage of Carlo, accordionist and performer from Castelfidardo (Italy), a town internationally renowned for its accordion- making industry. Ablation is a research that explores the memory an object preserves even after its erosion. Like a cardiac ablation, the memory (re-cordis, “back to the heart”) of how the instrument once sounded, of who built it, is worn away until it becomes nothing but an echo. The use of specific reed blocks*, once part of two accordions that accompanied Carlo since childhood, becomes a ritual act of memory—one that belongs not only to its owner, but also to all those who have interacted with them by making, playing, or listening to them.

The research project consists of the creation and technical development of a musical instrument in which the reed blocks, separated from the physical body of the accordion, become the protagonists of sound exploration. Activated in unorthodox ways, through small electric motors with fans that generate air flows, they cause the reeds to vibrate. The voices of the accordion thus resonate as spatialized, independent, and detached from the single bellows that traditionally defines the instrument.

The technical and artistic development of the project was carried out during the prototyping phase in collaboration with composer and electronic musician Jacopo Cenni (Italy), giving rise to a first sound machine: eight electric motors driven by fans, individually controlled via Arduino, capable of activating four blocks of accordion reeds and the different tunings of their reeds.

*reed blocks: wooden frames into which the reeds are set, each with its own aperture that allows them to vibrate when activated by an air flow.

Carlo Sampaolesi (*1997, IT) is an accordionist and performer based in Brussels. His interest in sound and its relationship with space and time have led him to deepen the timbral and spectral research of his instrument, undertaking a series of collaborations and commissions with composers such as: Francesca Verunelli, Stefano Gervasoni, Dmitri Kourliandski, Gavin Bryars, Giulia Lorusso, Maurizio Azzan, Carlo Elia Praderio, Mattia Clera, and many others. He has performed at numerous festivals including the TransArt Festival, Klarafestival (Bozar), Darmstadt Ferienkurse Festival, Festival ArteScienza, iMAL Brussels, Miry Conzertsaal, Festival Traiettorie, Festival Pontino, Festival Orizzonti, Le Strade del Suono Festival, Premio Internazionale della Fisarmonica città di Castelfidardo (PIF), and many others, giving concerts in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Holland and Albania. He has performed with important ensembles and orchestras such as the Neue Vocalsolisten, mdi ensemble, FontanaMIX Ensemble, Opificio Sonoro, Orchestra del Teatro “La Fenice” in Venice, Eutopia Ensemble, Dedalus Ensemble and others, also working with artists such as Claron McFadden, Lucy Railton, Jessie Cox, Catherine Lamb and others. He also works as organiser and artistic director of the PNE.UMA – Contemporary Accordion Festival.

Jacopo Cenni (1995) is a composer, multimedia artist and performer. His work explores the relationship between the body and sound art, adopting an ecosystemic approach to musical composition. His pieces have been presented at, among others, La Biennale di Venezia (IT), ICMC Boston (US), Darmstadt Festival (DE), Glasgow Science Centre (UK), Festival Chigiana (IT), ZiMMT Leipzig (DE), MA/IN Festival (IT), Festival Luigi Nono (IT), XXVI CIM Turin (IT) and AGON (IT). An interest in multidisciplinarity and collaborative practice has led him to contribute to projects at institutions such as the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence (FR), Musik Installationen Nürnberg (DE) and Teatro Out Off (IT). In parallel, Cenni works in experimental theatre as a composer and sound-and-light designer, taking part in productions staged at Pirelli Hangar Bicocca (IT), Nau Ivanow (ES), Teatro Basilica Roma (IT). He has attended courses, lectures and masterclasses with, among others, L. Ronchetti, S. Steen-Andersen, R.Sounders, P. Manoury, J.La Barbara, M.Gourfink, M. Lanza, K. Tazelaar, J-L. Hervé. Cenni is currently enrolled on the PhD programme in New Musical Languages at the Conservatoire of Cesena (IT). His project investigates the implications of embodiment within contemporary instrumental and vocal practice and develops an integrated environment for computer-assisted musical and choreographic composition.