JEWELSH: Poetics of Space presentation, Trondheim Cinematek

12/11/25

Poetics of Space presentation, Trondheim Cinematek

On 10th. December, an event was held at the cinematheque in Trondheim to present results of the research project Poetics of Space, led by Professor Michael Francis Duch at the department of music, NTNU. (The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim) The programme included a short live performance, with video projections, of part of a composition for solo double bass, written by composer Michael Pisaro Liu especially for Poetics of Space. This was followed by a short talk by architect Alexander Erikson Furunes about the fortress island of Sant' Andrea in the Venice Lagoon, the location for the final workshop of the research project. Afterwards, in a panel discussion chaired by Cinema & Media Studies researcher Asbjørn Tiller, project participants Michael Duch, Alexander Furunes, Marianne Badouin Lie and Jeremy Welsh spoke about their various roles in the project and their understanding of Gaston Bachelard's book The Poetics of Space, which was a starting point for the whole project. The event concluded with a film screening documenting three phases of the project, two of these taking place on the islands of Veierland (Oslofjord) and Sant' Andrea (Venice) and the third being a concert in a road tunnel in Trondheim.

A particular focus of the whole project was the relationship between place and sound, where active listening was a core research method. Inspired by Pauline Oliveiros' philosophy of Deep Listening and key works of John Cage, the project became an interdisciplinary exploration of place, sound, image and interaction.

In 2026 comprehensive documentation of the project, including transcripts of group discussions, scores, photographs and video stills will be published in book form, along with a vinyl LP and an online collection of films from the various workshops and performances.