On 4DSOUND

9 September 2011 - Text based upon a spoken lecture by Paul Oomen during the Symposium Spatial Music, organized during Gaudeamus International Week of Contemporary Music. 2550 words

SUMMARY

Oomen approaches the subject reviewing his diverse endeavours in composing spatial music. He focusses on the creation of 4DSOUND technology, a development that has been central in his work since 2007. The main concerns of this development are introduced by four reflections on spatial elements: space, distance, movement and perspective.

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A dramaturgy of spatiality

31 January 2011 - In this article Oomen introduces a variety of general and specific aspects of spatiality that have been vital in the development of 4DSOUND, a new procedure for spatial sound synthesis. 732 words

MAIN TEXT

Our awareness of spatiality is strongly dependent on the omnidirectional and non-selective reception of our hearing. While the eyes are conditioned for complex rendering of objects and their characteristics, the hearing primarily follows continuity in time and space.

On Nikola Tesla

1 September 2010 - Oomen reflects on the personality of Nikola Tesla and the translation of the inventor’s life and work in his opera ‘Nikola’. 1251 words

MAIN TEXT

Nikola Tesla was an extraordinary person. He combined a mind of almost digital precision with a mysterious, indeterminable intuition and hypersensitivity. In his autobiography, Nikola Tesla writes extensively about the mental affections that were troubling him throughout his life. He experienced phenomena such as synesthesia, visual interventions and perceptions transcending the border between wakefulness and sleep.

Opera in the 21st century

2009/2010 - Correspondance between Paul Oomen and Geert van Boxtel (research and development for Yo! Opera), published in the book "De goed voorbereide geest". (HKU-L 2011). rearranged by Oomen. Dutch text. 14.473 words

SUMMARY

The topic of conversation is an unfolding vision on opera in the next century by referring to past projects and future plans. Both the working process and the performance practice are addressed. An important topic of discussion is the role of the composer in the "interdisciplinary" opera genre. They reflect on the artistic concept in relation to the context in which opera takes place, and what role artistic inspiration plays in this. Furthermore, they value the role of Yo! Opera in renewing the opera tradition through their youth projects.

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On the future of opera

6 November 2009 - Statement performed by Paul Oomen at the opening of Operation Musictheatre - a series of debates on the future of the genre. 397 words.

MAIN TEXT

Opera is the art of synesthesia. It is an art situated in between the various regions of the mind. It is an art created by words, sounds and pictures merged into an illusionary perception, beyond the limits of the individual senses.

On the future of composed music

11 October 2009 - This statement was written to open the debate on the future of composed music during the Nederlandse Muziekdagen. 441 words.

MAIN TEXT

According to me, the importance of art music in society is undermined by the over-appreciated intellectual qualities of music. A glance at the program of the Nederlandse Muziekdagen makes it clear: the perspective is directed towards the composition’s structural conception and towards the work’s intellectual background. With this, composers and programmers create a vacuum around a hermetic musical world to which the listener has no  access.

Amsterdam E@rport > Arrival

30 January 2009 - Text spoken by Oomen as the opening speech of E@rport Amsterdam. 1600 words.

SUMMARY

For Earport Amsterdam, Oomen brought together a hundred-fifty musicians from Amsterdam to encounter each other and resound the musical essence of our present-day society.

In this speech he explores and evaluates his musical-philosophical standpoints that form the basis of this project. Oomen addresses his own cultural background, the relation of the composer to the multitude of musical cultures that surround him and his proposition to consider 'the encounter' as the core of composing rather than traditional values of craftsmanship. The composer as host, inspirator and initiator.

Letter to Ronald Plasterk, minister of Cultural Affairs

10 April 2008 - Open letter to the former Dutch minister of Culture Ronald Plasterk. presented and published by Lectorate Artistry21. 2143 words.

SUMMARY

In this letter Paul Oomen describes his concerns regarding the general political perspective on culture and the resulting governmental funding policy. In his statement he touches upon the spiritual responsibility of the artist, the artist's function in society and the relationship between artists and cultural institutions.

A topology of musical encounter

Oomen describes the process of research during 2007 and 2008 in developing his project 'Amsterdam E@rport' - destined to arrive at a musical laboratory, a virtual concerthall and an online community space for musicians in Amsterdam and listeners worldwide. www.earport.eu. 40 pages, each separately posted. 

SUMMARY

The text is conceived as a non-linear collection of thoughts on the various aspects of this project. Oomen discusses philosophical considerations, social developments and musical ideas behind the construction of Amsterdam Earport. Departing from the idea of separate cultural traditions to the mixture of influences and complete cross-over that is found today, he questions the current state of the way music life is approached. He investigates through his personal experiences in musical encounters how he can reshape the very idea of how cultural tradition is defined on a personal and a collective level.

Oomen presents a different perspective on musical identity and his ideas on a sustainable environment for musical encounters. He introduces new sets of values by which people can present themselves, connect and create collectives. An important aspect in this process is the communication through internet, where he feels the next step lies: to apply the possibilities in the digital reality for the benefit of the innovative music practice between various musical worlds.

Read 'A topology of musical encounter' - overview under 'Articles' in the menu. 

Considering the museum as performance space

12 May 2007 - This text was performed as an audiovisual performance lecture at Walter Maashuis in the Netherlands. 2169 words.

SUMMARY

Paul Oomen discusses the function of the museum as a possible performance space. He argues that the distinctions between visual, performing and literary arts have become blurred, and the museum has lost its historic role of a place preserving art of the past. Therefore it has now become possible to re-think the museum as a free spatial structure, where any type of artistic activity can be presented to an audience. "Whether we call it installation, performance, music or whatever else, is not relevant anymore. We are simply sharing art."

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Source and Inspiration

2 Febuary 2007 - This text was presented as a spoken lecture, as part of a series of lectures on 'artists and their inspiration' at the Walter Maas Huis in the Netherlands. 1100 words.

SUMMARY

Oomen presents five reflexions on the subject 'artists and their inspiration'. They each link to his 'inspiration' on this matter, the five stages of conciousness as mentioned by S.I. Kahn: intuition, inspiration, vision, revelation and enlightenment.  The first reflection starting with a single question, to the fifth and longest reflection, composed of five paragraphs, where he gives some insightful views on this elusive subject.