To Jean-François Denis and Claude Schryer

“As soon as we become immobile, we are elsewhere; we dream in a vast world. Immensity is the movement of immobile man. Immensity is one of the dynamic aspects of peaceful daydreaming.”

— Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

Space.

Open, intimate, confused spaces. Broken spaces, whirling.

Indecisive edges of the space.

Space-refuge, enclosed, maternal, space of reminiscence and of associations.

Tumult or murmur in the space of a thousand reflections.

Escape.

The flight engenders a vertigo of multiple elsewheres.

Here… There…

Attempted encounter of heterogeneous elements related by two criteria: one is sonic and denotative (the place of sound in space), the other symbolic and connotative (referring to the theme of wandering), both alluding to movement. These criteria determine the form and are its cement. The multiplicity of materials embody the ideas of ‘space’ and ‘mobility.’ This work integrates into its structure active elements of spatialization which have a semantic value.

[ix-91]

Espace / Escape was realized at the composer’s studio in Montréal in 1989 and premiered on November 10, 1989 during the CEC Electroacosutic Days, >convergence< at The Banff Centre for the Arts (Alberta, Canada). Espace / Escape was selected by the 1991 International Computer Music Conference (ICMC ’91) in Montréal. A short sound recording — authentic ‘sound shooting’ (Michel Chion) — used in this piece was offered by composer Christian Calon; Dhomont thanks his friend for the gift, hoping to have made good use of it. This piece was commissioned by Claude Schryer / The Banff Centre for the Arts, realized with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA).

Premiere

• November 10, 1989, >convergence<: Concert 1, Margaret Greenham Theatre — The Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff (Alberta, Canada)

Awards

• Mention, Stockholm Electronic Arts Award 1992, Stockholm (Sweden)
• Honorable Mention, Computer Music, Prix Ars Electronica 1993, Linz (Austria)