Stille Post 2022

In his Image Composition and Rhythm seminar, IMM instructor Christian Schäfer teaches students about music visualization in the form of notation systems beyond the classical one. In the hands-on project “Stille Post” (Quiet Mail) – German for the popular children’s game telephone, or whisper down the lane – students use alternative music notations by visual artists and musicians as both template and inspiration – John Cage’s Notations collection, for example, or Anthony Braxton’s visualizations.

To begin, each student is assigned a piece of music, selected by drawing lots. Students are then tasked with visualizing their assigned piece – only without using our conventional notation or writing system. The resulting “notes” are then passed on (without music, title, or other reference to the original piece) to another student, who records a new piece of music based on this graphic score. The track gets a title and is then passed on yet again, with the next student visualizing it in the form of a record cover.

With works by Camila Agudelo, Roberto Alessio, Nora Bögel, Benjamín Herrera Lizana, Margareta von Klenze, and Ricardo Soares.

Concept and supervision: Christian Schäfer

Results from the 2022 “Stille Post” project:

After Rapidly Circling The Plaza > O

Step 1 > After Rapidly Circling The Plaza von AMM

Step 2 > Notation by Benjamín Herrera Lizana