Category Archives: «Get Going!»

Cégiu: In dialogue with others and one’s own body

2022 «Get Going!» Portrait Series

Cégiu – Photo by ©Gian Marco Castelberg

The ear as a microphone and an instrument; the brain as a mixing desk and the body as an individually perceptible subwoofer: with her new project “Coiled Continuum”, Céline-Giulia Voser – alias Cégiu – wants to turn music into a physically tangible experience. FONDATION SUISA is supporting her with “Get Going!” funding.

In Cégiu’s music, the texture of the surface features only briefly – merely in the first few seconds of a song, when it first comes into contact with the listener’s ears. After that, the music transforms into a vortex, into an intricately woven, meandering labyrinth that wends its way deep inside the subconscious of the listener and juggles with their emotions. Over the course of three albums, Cégiu has now got this down to a fine art: on “Skinny Souls” (2016), “Restless Roots” (2019) and “Glowing Goodbyes” (2021), her use of several languages not only topples the tower of Babel but also creates new and more intricate acoustic wefts along the way, which have the power to sound some unusual notes on the listener’s keyboard of emotions. In this way, the 39-year-old native of Central Switzerland, who has roots in Friaul and West Switzerland, manages the great feat of transferring the catharsis inherent in her music onto others.

One of her songs on “Restless Roots” is called “Il Silenzio – n’existe pas”, and it contains pretty much every element that makes a Cégiu composition so distinctive: she has experienced this non-existent silence with her own body when her family moved to an apartment building that sits adjacent to a castle park and is exposed to a vast amount of traffic noise.  “Suddenly”, Cégiu says, “I could hear my own body, the rushing of blood in my ears”. The despair that follows in the footsteps of this insight is vocally transformed into sound through whispers and shouts, and verbally born aloft in four different languages. “Growing up in a multilingual household, I noticed from a young age that certain states of mind or feelings can be expressed more eloquently in one language than in another.” “Dream on mon coeur”, she whispers over an abstracted, perennially circling cello that wanders through all the states of matter during the course of the piece.

The effect of music on our brain, on our body – this is also Cégiu’s focus in her current project, for which FONDATION SUISA will support her with “Get Going!” funding. She calls it “Coiled Continuum”, and the name says it all. Within this sealed, ever-revolving continuum, Cégiu wants to work with other cultural creators by passing on the products of her creative endeavours to others for them to process further and then in turn play the results back to Cégiu. 

“I am fascinated by the image of a continuously revolving spiral”, she says. “I want to integrate this approach at all levels of the project, whether that’s my own workflow, the collaborations themselves, or at the level of critical engagement. A constant back and forth, not least also in reference to how our lives actually work.” She is already in dialogue with the musician and producer Anna Murphy and the slam poet Dominique Macri, as well as the photographer Gian Marco Castelberg and – for the visual concept – with Bartholomäus Zientek. Others will follow. “Because we now live in a world strongly defined by visuality, I am also seeking interdisciplinary dialogue in this arena.”

In terms of its content, the theme of the project revolves around psycho-acoustic perception, something that the composer and installation artist Maryanne Amacher (1938–2009) engaged with intensively. “The ear”, Cégiu explains, “can not only perceive sounds but also generate its own, something that can be provoked with a stimulus”. The aim is to stimulate the ear and the brain to develop their own sounds when listening to music: “The hope is to create a new physical experience so that music becomes physically tangible.” This should be possible not just when streaming music (using headphones), but also live: “My dream would be that I can utilise the respective space and people’s behaviour in such a way that they in turn influence me on stage and that the audience thereby becomes part of the band.” In this context, and as with all of Cégiu’s work, beats play a defining role. For this purpose, she used the sounds of trolley suitcases in “Restless Roots” and the noise of insects on “Glowing Goodbyes”; now, the incidental noises made by the mouth when leaving voice messages are to be used to create the complex rhythms of the music.

Even though the result of “Coiled Continuum” is to become a complete work in the form of an album, Cégiu wants to use the possibilities afforded by digital technology to create a kind of audio diary during the work process. She feels that this visibility facilitates dialogue with others and thus also becomes part of the continuum.This form of working, this intensive engagement with the theme, all requires time and money. “This form of support from FONDATION SUISA, where no end-result and no timeframe have to be defined at the outset, provides incredible creative freedom that allows you to take risks”, Cégiu says when outlining the benefits of “Get Going!”. She feels that this is the only way to deeply engage with the work.

Rudolf Amstutz

www.cegiu.com


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start. At monthly intervals, we present the eight recipients of the 2022 «Get Going!» grant individually.

«Get Going!» 2023 ⎪ Call for proposals

«Get Going!» goes into the next round: FONDATION SUISA is awarding up to eight grants of CHF 25,000 each.  


IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please read the following information carefully. Projects must be submitted using the online application tool at the bottom of this page.

WHAT IS «GET GOING!»? ⎪ WHAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED?

  • The idea of «Get Going!» is based on the philosophy of “making things possible”.
  • Applications are invited from composers, lyricists and musicians who can demonstrate a clear connection to current musical creation in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
  • The call for projects is deliberately being kept open; there are, for instance, no genre, age or project categories.
  • «Get Going!» is a seed funding accelerator and investment in a next career step. It presupposes the existence of an established track record and musical trajectory.
  • «Get Going!» aims to impose as few limits on the creativity of the music makers as possible. The focus is on artistic development.
  • The «Get Going!» call for projects purposely takes the form of an “elevator pitch”: submissions should be kept brief, coherent and focused on the essential core message. The jury must come away with a clear idea of what the applicant is communicating; the choice of means (written, video/audio file, etc.) is down to the applicant, but the submission must be delivered in digital form via the online application tool.
  • If necessary, the jury may respond with follow-up questions.

The following will not be considered:

  • Projects with an audio/video production as principal final outcome.
  • Projects disallowed by FONDATION SUISA’s general funding regulations (paragraph 6.4 of the Funding Regulations).

APPLY NOW!

Please note:

  • Applications must be submitted digitally via the online application tool. We do NOT accept any additional documents submitted either digitally or by any other means.
  • Queries of a practical nature should be addressed to getgoing@fondation-suisa.ch.
  • The award winners will be announced at the end of the year.
  • NO correspondence will be entered into concerning the selection process or the jury’s decisions.

Acceptance deadline: Friday, 01.09.2023



We look forward to hearing from you!

Wurmbaslehuufe.ch ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

2021 «Get Going!» Portrait Series

Christoph «Sirgel» Hartmann ⎪ Photo by ©Reto Martin


Christoph “Sirgel” Hartmann, Roland Hofer and Niculin Janett – three musicians from the canton of Thurgau – are composing a “characteristic” folk music melody with a simple chord accompaniment for each of the 80 municipalities in the canton. The compositions will be made available as sheet music and audio files, free of charge or copyright, on the online platform “www.wurmbaslehuufe.ch”. The intention is for the online platform to grow into a meeting and information hub for both the local community and creative artists, aimed at broadening their horizons with respect to Swiss folk music.

Project:
www.wurmbaslehuufe.ch
Link to Christoph Hartmann’s website
www.sirgelsound.ch
Link to Niculin Janett’s website:
www.niculinjanett.ch


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

Omni Selassi ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

2021 «Get Going!» Portrait Series

Omni Selassi ⎪ Photo by ⓒFlorianGuntesweiler


Omni Selassi would like to say thank you: “The joy, indeed the honour, is so great that it’s more or less bowled us over: up, down – hmm! What shall we do with 25 suitcases full of dollars? The same as we’re doing now, just better. Now we can buy a Toyota or Mitsubishi bus that can be repaired anywhere in the world. We can record a second album, even though the first one isn’t even out yet. Plus, the whole shebang with the FONDATION SUISA list always feels like we’re signing a bank cheque – cool!”
www.omniselassi.com


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

Lucia Cadotsch ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

«Get Going!» Portrait Series 2021

Lucia Cadotsch ⎪ Photo by ⓒDovile Sermokas


Lucia Cadotsch / LIUN + The Science Fiction Orchestra
“After concentrating the last few years with my trio “Speak Low” – together with bassist Petter Eldh and saxophonist Otis Sandsjö – mainly on working in chamber music instrumentation, the need has grown in me to explore the sonic and compositional possibilities of a large ensemble. I am therefore very much looking forward to composing and recording new pieces for an orchestral album next year, together with producer Wanja Slavin. In addition, I hope that a new ensemble will emerge from the collaboration with the many exciting artists, which will continuously develop, cross-fertilise and perform live.”
luciacadotsch.com
youtube.com/watch?v=OQ7ETYq0Ksg


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

Martina Linn ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

«Get Going!» Portrait Series 2021

Martina Linn ⎪ Photo by ⓒTabea Hueberli


Martina Linn on the hunt for traces of Rheto-Romanic at Chasa Parli
In 2022, the Grisons-based singer and composer Martina Linn will be going to the Münstertal valley in search of traces of Rheto-Romanic culture. Over the course of three months, she will be setting up a kind of musical laboratory at Chasa Parli with the aim of transporting old Rheto-Romanic folk songs and poetry into the world of contemporary music. In doing so, she will draw on her ancestral genre of indie-folk, while overhauling and expanding her songwriting by working with the different spaces and natural and unnatural effects. The resulting songs will be arranged and recorded on site with the aim of releasing them as a CD book, including illustrations and text documenting her search.
https://www.chasa-parli.ch
https://www.martinalinn.com


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

René Desalmand ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

«Get Going!» Portrait Series 2021

René Desalmand ⎪ Photo by ⓒIllustrate Magazine


«However, Lump200’s directionless universe leads you back to yourself.»
That’s how Forced Exposure described the music of René Desalmand’s beats and lyrics project back in the noughties. Alongside working on the next Lump200 album, Desalmand is now collaborating with partners to develop a web app that facilitates open, collective and public production of audio content within a network. The album itself will therefore be based on an open format. The involvement of and distinction between stage and floor are being challenged in the digital space. René Desalmand is a saxophonist who composes and produces music for radio plays and installations and develops transdisciplinary work.
www.desalmand.com
www.lump200.com


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

Daniel Zea ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

«Get Going!» Portrait Series 2021

Daniel Zea ⎪ Photo by ⓒDaniel Zea


The designer, sound artist and composer Daniel Zea works with performance, movement recording systems, electronic tinkering, augmented reality, video and computer-generated images. His most recent works focus on the fragility of the human being in the face of technology. Thus they offer a mirror between the virtual and the real, with the human being always at the centre. Sometimes this reflection leads to a social or political poetics. His project aims to further explore this fragility, using his own 3D avatar to create a kind of autobiographical black video comedy. He is co-director of the Geneva-based Ensemble Vortex and teaches interactivity at HEAD.
www.danielzea.org


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

Imelda Gabs  ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

«Get Going!» Portrait Series 2021

Imelda Gabs ⎪ Photo by ⓒEye Attraction


Artists like Imelda Gabs are the reason why pop never goes out of fashion and always moves with the times. She has Belgian and Congolese roots and grew up in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she learned the piano, violin and singing from an early age. After an eventful stage and music career with her debut at the age of 14 at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, two performances at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival, her participation in Docks’ Proxima project in Lausanne and two self-produced singles/clips released in 2020 and 2021, she is now dedicated to the production of her very first album, which, just like her career, is meant to be daring and surprising.
www.imeldagabs.com


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.

Bibi Vaplan ⎪ «Get Going!» 2021

«Get Going!» Portrait Series 2021

Bibi Vaplan ⎪ Photo by ⓒIda Sgier


«Breaking boundaries is the motto, craziness the motor, the stars the goal»: this is the guideline that Engadine musician Bibi Vaplan used to create POPCORN-OPERA. This new kind of opera allows artistic creations to pop up. Everything is allowed. From music, literature, happenings, inventions to mini festivals. If traditional operas take place on a stage, this project explodes in all possible directions: digital, analogue, live, somewhere, everywhere and even on the moon. On 6.11.2021, the longest opera “prologue” ever ended. After this test phase, the popcorn opera will start the big overture in 2023.
www.bibivaplan.ch


«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.