(2024) Sébastien Robert – Oscillations
During his House Guest residency, Sébastien Robert continues to develop his project ‘Oscillations,’ centered around the trans-Mediterranean instrument: the bagpipe.
The first iteration of this project, unveiled at The Grey Space, features 3D-cloned bagpipes from the collection of Mucem—the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille, France. Sébastien Robert had the opportunity to explore this collection during his residency in 2023. These replicas are brought to life by a unique, custom-made system designed and produced by contemporary instrument maker Léo Maurel, in collaboration with creative technologist Benjamin Maus.
Sébastien Robert (b. 1993, Nantes, FR) is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher bridging visual and sound art, technology, science, and ethnography. His primary project, You’re no Bird of Paradise, explores disappearing Indigenous sonic rituals and cosmologies, transforming them into enduring artworks that reflect the communities he studies. His practice fosters dialogue between non-Western perspectives and new technology, challenging environmental perceptions and highlighting diverse knowledge systems.
After a research residency at The Grey Space, Sébastien Robert will showcase a twenty-minute exploration of this instrument, examining its character, timbre, and limits through improvised performances during HOOGTIJ#78 on Friday, September 27th.
House Guests is a program in which The Grey Space invites transdisciplinary makers who actively seek collaborations with other knowledge domains and are willing to share their artistic process and test a prototype of a project with an audience. The program facilitates the interaction between a work, the space and the audience, often operating in between a black box and white cube. Each House Guest has a week-long mini-residency, culminating in a public event.
- The House Guest residency program is supported by the Municipality of The Hague and Creative Fund NL
- Initiated during the Iméra x Mucem residency (Marseille, FR)
- With the technical help of Luuk Meints (3D), Léo Maurel (hardware) and Benjamin Maus (software)
- Under the supervision of Marie-Barbara Le Gonidec
