In 1897, “Costache was only twenty-one years old – and what can a twenty-one years old man wish other than seeing the world? A trip to Vienna and two months working there should both satisfy his curiosity and broaden his worker experience. Taking advantage of the holiday, armed with a letter of recommendation by the sculpture teacher,
Sicherls, and the turnery teacher, Zefeld, adressed to a Viennese company, he is embarking at Turnu Severin on a line boat to Vienna. […] He cannot wait for Sundays to visit museums. From the Museum of Ancient Art he must be dismissed by staff at closing time. Then, under the overwhelming impression of what he saw, he often lingers seated at the breweries’ tables of the imperial city. But two months pass quickly and the young man must go home. He doesn’t forget to ask for a certificate of qualification from the factory where he worked, in order to use it in case he needs it later. And the factory issues the certificate.” (Alexandru Buican, Brâncuși – A biography, Artemis Press, 2006).
2017 marks 60 years since the death of the great sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, but also 120 years since “the young Costache” comes in direct contact (perhaps for the first time) with artworks inaccessible in Romania, due to his trip in Austria. We think it is a good time to celebrate Brâncuși in a south-east / central european tour that includes Belgrade (SRB), Budapest (HU), Graz and Vienna (AT), while promoting Romanian contemporary art; an inspired moment to remind the cultural world of the ties of “the father of modern sculpture” to art school in Romania; but also the opening that the Viennese museums gave to Constantin Brâncuși.
Imago Mundi ensemble proposes a re-evaluation of traditional romanian music from the perspective of the contemporary musician.
The Isvor. Constantin Brâncuși project is dedicated to the greatest Romanian sculptor and is inspired by his life and work; it’s a reconstruction – visually and musically – of Brâncuși’s world: from Gorj county, where he was born and formed spiritually, to Paris where he evolved artistically and culturally. Thus, the works that build up the music programme are inspired by traditional music from Oltenia; Maria Tănase’s music (probably the most important voice of Romanian traditional music, but also one of the greatest loves of Brâncuși); Erik Satie’s music (French composer, precursor of minimalism, surrealism, repetitive music or “theatre de l’absurde”, interested in Romanian fiddlers music and good friend of the Romanian sculptor); or, simply, compositions inspired by Constantin Brâncuși’s work: Sleeping Muse, Bird in Space, The Wisdom of the Earth, The Table of Silence, The Endless Column.
The music programme is enriched by photo/video projections, a moving instalation that visually comments (and scenographically completes) the sound univers imagined in spirit and honor of Brâncuși’s work.
Lastly, we intend to culturally „recover” Constantin Brâncuși – often considered a french sculptor, we believe that the „details” of his origins are easily passed.