Parliament of Angels 2026

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR Parliament of Angels 2026

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP as part of the Academy ManiFeste-2026
June 15-27, 2026 – PARIS, FRANCE

Ircam is offering a composition workshop for short dance films, led by Thierry De Mey, in collaboration with the virtuoso soloists of the BL!NDMAN saxophone quartet [sax] and Ircam computer music designers The aim is to explore the instrumental possibilities offered by electronics, based on a short video.

A demanding and interdisciplinary artistic practice, dance film brings together several forms of movement into a coherent poetic gesture. Cinema and dance place the human body at the center of creation, where music is most often the starting point: dance reacts to pre-existing sound, then film captures the choreographic proposal. Here, on the contrary, the musical composition will be created in response to the film. But played “live,” the music will be able to take advantage of this opportunity for visual counterpoint and multidimensional play, so that the whole merges into a new sensory experience during the screening/concert.

Participants will choose from film clips featuring choreographies with very different aesthetics, created by Thierry De Mey, who will be following their work. They will be able to write either for one of the instrumentalists, as a soloist with electronics, or for a duo with electronics, or for the acoustic quartet.

January-May 2026: Online meetings and work sessions
June 15-27, 2026 @CENTQUATRE-PARIS: workshop, rehearsals, screening/concert

With the support of the ULYSSES Platform, supported by the European Union.

 
Parliament of Angels, is an initiative by BL!NDMAN, which, in collaboration with international partners, embarks on a five-year residency project. It brings together artists and students from institutions such as Canterbury Christ Church University, IRCAM & Lobster Films, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, the Royal Academy of Art The Hague, Art of Sound The Hague, and Art and Science The Hague. Throughout these residencies, students, artists, composers, and curators collaborate with a BL!NDMAN quartet, diving into pre-determined themes and techniques. The residencies culminate in a concert, with each year resulting in new compositions, providing fertile ground for future productions. Each year, one specific partnership takes centre stage, represented by a curator who acts as a liaison between BL!NDMAN and the respective institution.