Filmstill Videodokumentation sentimental gentle rental (© Pauline Cemeris)
"sentimental gentle rental” the graduation project by Juliane Schmitt is a performance and sound installation centered on the portative organ, an instrument that was popular in medieval times.
The work is based on research on nuns in medieval monasteries. The portative organ shapes the performance through its rhythmic breath-like cadence. The limited tonal range is expanded by using tools to adjust pipe lengths, producing higher tones and creating friction with overtones, dissonances, and oscillating frequencies. The performers synchronize their breath with the instrument, creating a delicate balance of sound and silence, transforming the organ that was borrowed from an organ builder into a vessel of gentle sentimentality and temporal transcendence.