Electronics, lights, sound – the fragments that make up the organic, shimmering whole of Hervé Birolini’s performance Des Éclats are part of a research cycle focused on electrical energy. In it, the French artist explores the complex relationships between the presence of the human individual and mechanical apparatus, creating a complex and impressive image dominated by the characteristic flashes of arc discharges.

Birolini has been interested in aspects of electrical energy, and specifically the sonic power of its particles, for almost five years. “I am a bunch of intuitions that try to show how this energy is present and necessary in the whole of society,” emphasises the composer. In Des Éclats, he metaphorically dives into the very core of how we function: our thoughts, ideas, vision and awareness of the world are themselves supported by the presence of electrical energy, which allows our body and its biological sensors to function and communicate. Like neurons, the impulses generated by the Tesla coils on stage reorganise, evoke and provoke rapid sonic changes, which constitute the core of the work. These sonic and visual proposals can be seen in multiple dimensions: as the scale of electricity itself, captured in the form of electron flow, but also as its highly precise organisation, which gives rise to something new – an electrical organism developing before our eyes.

The artist studied electroacoustic music at the Centre Européen de Recherche Musicale in Metz, France. After delving into the secrets of cinematography and audiovisual media and years as a member of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales at the Institut National de L’Audiovisuel – considered a pioneering institution in the field of electroacoustic, acousmatic and concrete music – he continued his own research and at the beginning of the millennium he became an independent artist. Since then, Birolini has explored multiple areas related to sound. From concert pieces to installations, electroacoustic performances, stage and film music, and radio art, his sonic experiments interpenetrate and constantly question his role as a composer. He creates music, primarily electronic, using real, concrete or instrumental materials, but also sound objects produced by computerised, constantly reinvented accessories. Technology, which is an integral part of his work, is both a tool and a way of challenging contemporary notions of what sensuality is.