“Lärmlicht” is a combination of two german words ‘lärm’ meaning noise and ‘licht’ – light, which are the fundamental description of this performance – a combination of various, sometimes ethereal sounds together with dynamic flashing lights, which meshed together deliver a unique and modern show befitting the homeland of its germanic title.
The performance is set in a completely blacked-out room with the only performers being heavy duty speakers, an almost robotic contraption made out of spidery metal arms which are hooked up to a keyboard and laptop, as well as the mastermind behind everything – Joe Snape. Three components is all it takes to deliver a quite stunning performance which turns noise into music which is further given a body by the seamless choreography of flashing light bulbs.
However, it’s not just a ‘bunch of sound and light’ – initially, it does feel a bit odd to sit, stare and listen, but a few minutes in, the performance forces the cogs in your head to turn and you really start to feel something behind the odd assault on your eyes and ears. The synchronicity of light embodying sound brings out musical emotion – sometimes you can hear and even see happiness when the bulbs flicker more rapidly and sporadically, the other times you can feel melancholy and sadness wash over you when the lights are dimmer, as if they’re trying to tell you a story.
All of these emotions mixed together make you question the reason behind all of this – what is the inspiration something this form of expression? Joe says: “This is a project that has taken me years and years to build and develop and is probably my inspiration itself” “The idea of holding something as simple as a light bulb in your hand and making it grow into something extraordinary is what inspired me to create Lärmlicht #5.” Lärmlicht was a very unique and extremely modern experience which starts off with almost uncomfortable and alien sounds, but in the end, washes over the listener beautifully, leaving you anticipating more and more, yet ending abruptly – like a flickering light in the darkness.
If you are interested in Lärmlicht and Joe Snape’s other performances, you can check out his website at http://joesna.pe .
