Almost Everything (2019) audio-visual installation at Atelier Nord.

Lasse Marhaug’s installation ALMOST EVERYTHING – created in collaboration with percussion trio Pinquins – attempts to translate electronic noise music’s aural and visual qualities into an acoustic expression.

A series of videos show everyday objects being knocked, scraped, and drummed on. Chains and bells are thrown and dropped on potlids and other surfaces.  Resonating tones occur when a plastic ball is pressed against the edge of a porcelain dish. Sandpaper rubs against wood resulting in crackling sounds. Dozens of everyday objects are spread about on a table and filmed from above, in clear reference to the chaotic set-ups often seen during performances of electronic noise music.  

The above-described videos are distributed across multiple displays and start and stop at different times.  This approach allows for an element of indeterminacy, a constantly changing soundscape without repetition. By relying on chance ALMOST EVERYTHING could be said to reference historical attempts at detaching music from the concert format and predetermined score through electronic means. ALMOST EVERYTHING developed from of a series of acoustic live performances by Piquins based on Marhaug’s music in 2019.