A dice roll is the very image of randomness. Every day since September 1, 1994, I have rolled a set of six dice, written down the number combinations and collected the numerical material in an ever-growing physical archive. The project is entitled "one and one hundred dice rolls a day". I use this numerical material as a starting point for transformations by translating each number, 1 to 6, into one sign, shape, sound or word, and by creating rules for how these translations will be used further. This method shapes the concrete outcomes and results in series or other forms of progressions and connections. What unites the different sub-projects that stem from the dice roll project is an exploration of the inherent nature of this special material and its potential for form, expression, and visibility, as well as a fascination with the diversity and variations generated, and with results I cannot fully predict. In this exposition, I will describe, make visible, and reflect on the working method, process, and the development of the formal language and expressions that have emerged from this ongoing, and in many ways interconnected, artistic project. The project is seen from a place (that of me, the artist's perspective) and is developed from a point (the dice rolls with dots representing numbers).
When the Sea Invades the House displaces a real octopus from the ocean into bedrooms, windows, cars and ruins. Its tentacular body embodies ecological grief, dragging the sea into spaces where human life unfolds. Each photograph is an archival fragment of mourning, recording the dissonance between a body that belongs to the depths and the surfaces where it is forced to appear. The final image, marked by a black tear, crystallises this grief as wound and testimony. It is the ocean itself that mourns, silently infiltrating the everyday.
This research explores the integration of film as a dramaturgical element within contemporary opera, with a specific focus on its role in shaping narrative, character development, and audience perception. Over the course of two years, I have investigated the compositional and theatrical possibilities that emerge when opera, A/V elements and film interact, aiming to expand the expressive potential of these mediums.
Structured in three different cycles, this paper examines the evolving relationship between live musical performance, electronic music composition, and visual storytelling. Through a combination of desk research, artistic experimentation, and practical composition—drawing insights from the creative processes of composers such as Michel van der Aa, Richard Ayres, Sivan Eldar, and others—this research highlights the challenges and opportunities of hybrid opera-film formats. The findings demonstrate that film can serve not only as an aesthetic addition but as a fundamental component of dramaturgy, capable of deepening character psychology and reinforcing musical structures. Additionally, the research reveals the complexities of balancing digital and organic elements in opera, contributing to a broader understanding of contemporary music-theater composition.
Through this process, I gave myself the freedom to experiment as much as possible and learn by observing from composers and artists who stimulated and inspired my creativity.
As a result, this paper has culminated in the development of This is not my U******E (2024-2025), a new opera production for soprano, baritone, sinfonietta and A/V elements.
Pierre Boulez – Escritos Seletos
author: Pierre Boulez / Jean Jacques Nattiez (preface) / Artur Morão (trans.) / Paulo de Assis (ed.)
type: publication