MUSIC MADE BY TRAINS AT TODAYSART 2008

Every year, for one weekend, the TodaysArt Festival transforms the city centre of The Hague in The Netherlands into an inspiring stronghold of creativity and audiovisual experiences. This year, over 200 artists will contribute to the festival, where many different art disciplines are represented, such as film, modern dance, visual art, photography and music.

The fourth edition of the TodaysArt Festival will take place on the 26th and 27th of September, at 20 in- and outdoor locations. The title of the festival is Blue Light District (map), referring to the trademark blue colour of the festival.

Named "Station to Station", this year's opening performance features highly unusual instruments. The Central Station-building itself, plus all the people, machines and other sound sources in and around the building, will be "played" by the artists as instruments, including trains! All 12 railway tracks of the station will be used as a mixing board, the trains will be the faders.

In cooperation with the Dutch Railways (NS), a whole range of trains and trams will enter the station in a strict choreography, with all the train and tram engineers working together on the station's 12 railway tracks. Sounds from travellers will be amplified through microphones, and Achim Wollscheid will use computer-driven magnets to play an array of bicycle bells. Bicycles are parked in front of the station. The performance is a collaboration between Staalplaat Soundsystem, Mike Rijnierse, Achim Wollscheid, Mark Bain and Erik Hobijn.

Once again, TodaysArt will close the Dutch festival season and prime the cultural season, bringing over 200 artists from all corners of the world to the city centre of The Hague.

  TodaysArt