Seikilos Installation (AT)
Kunsthalle Düsseldorf —Akademie [Arbeitstitel]
18.12.2017—14.01.2018
Tralles, Ancient Greece:
A man places a marble stele upon the grave of his late wife. Chiseled into the stone is an inscription that reads:
"I am a picture in stone; Seikilos placed me here, where I stay forever as a symbol of timeless memory."
Above another line of text sits ancient musical notation:
"As long as you live, shine. Mourn about nothing too much. Life is short, and time will demand its end."
Excavated in the 19th century and dated to around 200 BC, the stele proved to be the repository of the oldest complete musical composition in the world. Since 1966, it has been preserved and displayed at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
Beyond its precise musicological significance, the melody of the Seikilos Epitaph has inspired interpretations across diverse genres, from jazz, techno, and pop to electronic and orchestral music.
In the "Seikilos Installation (AT)," these various interpretations are used to generate a continuous, dynamic reading of the ancient notation. Vinyl records playing arranged fragments of the Seikilos song direct sound through speakers into an open grand piano. Through its exposed strings, the piano resonates with the fragments, constantly remixing the piece and mimicking the process of reading the ancient music anew.
Curated by: Anna-Lena Seiser
