www.haagsekunstenaars.nl - Stroom Den Haag

Omschrijving werk

Robert Pravda: "Robert Pravda (26-12-1967) studied engineering from 1987 through 1991 at the Technical University of Novi Sad (former Yugoslavia), after which he dedicated himself to making music in experimental underground circles. His interest in the interdisciplinary arts brought him to the Interfaculty Image & Sound, where he earned his degree in 2002. In 2001 he started WEIM, a workshop for his fellow students on electro-instrumental music which later, when he became a teacher at the Interfaculy, was transformed into the electronica improvisation ensemble RecPlay. During his studies he concentrated on building instruments for multimedia performances and making algorithmic compositions for spatial sound and light installations. His examination project, the sound-light installation 5x5x5, was awarded with the visitor’s prize of Shell’s Young Artist Award. In 2002, immediately after his graduation, he became teacher at the Interfaculty. Presently, he teaches the introductory course image & sound with Kasper van der Horst, the research groups Interactive Sonic Spaces with Edwin van der Heide and Joel Ryan, and the research group Genius Loci with Horst Rickels. Next to this he teaches a production class for students following the second phase studies Creation, Research and Development, and he teaches the academy-wide offered introductory course Sound. Working as guest lecturer for sound-design on the St. Joost academy in Breda. During the last years he is developing new musical and light instruments, performing in many formations and contexts and works for a variety of ensembles as sound designer-engineer. For the TU Eindhoven’s Studium Generale 2002 he created the perfomance Light Music for four trumpets and electronics transforming the soundpatterns into moving light patterns, created by the 125 light bulbs of his installation 5x5x5. Exhibition and concert at the Transmediale festival in Berlin 2003, with instalation 5x5x5 and with live Commodore64 sound and visual performance "XorC". With Arthur Ivens and Ferenc Teglas he played the piece Data F*** at the DEAF 2003 festival in Rotterdam. The same year he played with Xavier van Wersch, Thijs Scheele, Ernst van der Loo, Leon Spek and many others the Sonic Wargame in de Melkfabriek in Den Bosch. In 2004 he played the Octachord, a new musical instrument he had built, with the Mondriaan Quartet in the composition Deus Ex Machina for String Quartet with Octachord created by composer John de Simone for a concert series in the U.K. organized by the British Arts Council. During 2004 and 2005 worked as sound designer and composer for the theatre pieces "New Game" by Edith Kaldor, and "Ways to multiply You're self" by Andrea Bozic both in production of Gasthuis, Amsterdam and composed an interactive soundscape for the installation "It's me, but I'm no longer there" by Andrea Bozic. In 2007 he conducted an improvisation "big band" Structet where 48 musicians were placed on ten floors of the city hall in the Hague as a part of the Two Days Art festival. The same year he composed and performed a live soundtrack for the "Still life with Man and Woman", theater piece directed by Andrea Bozic. this collaboration continued the next year, 2008 with the new piece "Nothing can surprise us", also in production of Gesthuis/Frascati. Premiered in June same year. Exhibitions and concert in different venues/festivals:SonicActs Paradiso Amsterdam, Melkweg Amsterdam, PandPaulus Sciedam, Worm Rotterdam, New Forms festival Paard Den Haag, Galerie <tag> Den Haag, Gallery 1646 Den Haag, Whitespace Den Haag, Garage Den Haag, TodaysArt Den Haag, Platoux Frankfurt, Das Arts Brussel."