Gentle Acts

Music for LEDs and performers in collaboration with Marta Forsberg

Gentle Acts (2018), by Marta Forsberg Performed and commissioned by Passepartout Duo (Nicoletta Favari, keyboard & Christopher Salvito, percussion) Based on texts by Channa Riedel, Juliana Spahr, and Donna Haraway Film by Christopher Salvito (additional audio mixing by Marta Forsberg) Filmed and recorded in Ostend, Belgium at De Grote Post in January, 2019 Website: https://passepartoutduo.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/passepartoutpianopercussion Instagram: https://instagram.com/passepartoutduo Bandcamp: https://passepartoutduo.bandcamp.com About Marta Forsberg: https://www.martaforsberg.com

Gentle Acts is an audiovisual piece with music written by Marta Forsberg in collaboration with Passepartout Duo featuring poems and texts by Channa Riedel, Juliana Spahr, and Donna Haraway.

Spinning out from the simple message that “hard times call for gentle acts”, the piece attempts to bring the listener into a new and immersive environment through the use of a single-board computer and LED light strips. The lights are activated by two small electronic instruments controlled by the duo to create different effects throughout the piece.

The computer, created especially for the piece, is an artwork in its own right. A small cardboard children’s suitcase houses the computer in its final state, and its accompanying LED light strips roll up and warp themselves into a suitable shape for whichever space the piece is presented in. These factors lead the piece to be playable in many unconventional spaces, from houses to music festivals.

To date, Passepartout Duo has presented Gentle Acts in Belgium, Switzerland, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Italy, and the USA.

Gentle Acts was recorded during a residency at De Grote Post in Ostend, Belgium. The project was created with support from the Nordic Culture Fund and Nordic Culture Point.