With The Paper Ensemble, you get a lot, but also very little, in the sense that you really have to start listening yourself. Sharpen your ears. Listen with your eyes.
Artists and performers Jochem van Tol & Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti talk about The Paper Ensemble, with which they will perform their seventeenth work (titled #17) Saturday afternoon at Theater aan ’t Spui.
Jochem, you were the one who started The Paper Ensemble, right?
Jochem: “That’s right. I was studying at the former Interfaculty of Image and Sound in The Hague (now ArtScience), an adventurous program that encouraged you to develop your own language. As a musician, I’ve always been interested in materials — in the idea that everything makes sound, not just instruments. Even everyday items like paper. I decided to explore the sound possibilities of that material. It came from a genuine curiosity, but also had a bit of a joke to it: could you orchestrate those kinds of sounds? Could you have an ensemble made up of different types of paper sounds?”
And you could.
Jochem: “Yes, we could. We’ve been doing this for nearly twenty years now and it’s still fascinating.”
Ibelisse, what draws you to this?
Ibelisse: “I have a background in music — I was trained as a classical pianist and have also performed as a singer and musician in bands — but I also studied mime in Amsterdam. I’m fascinated by sound, especially the physical aspect: how do you play something, how do you create sound? Where is the boundary between material, performer, and sound? Who’s in control? As a classical pianist, you’re used to deciding exactly what gets heard, but with paper it’s different. You have to ask yourself what you want to express, how you can manipulate the material. The material has a dignity and integrity that you need to respect. It’s an entity in its own right, not just a tool. The paper is in charge.”
Jochem: “What we do is also a form study. The idea of virtuosity assumes a perfect instrument that obeys you. So how do you achieve virtuosity and craftsmanship using something like paper? In the early days, our exploration was mainly about having fun, but now it’s become very serious. We even traveled to a small village in Japan because they make very special paper there.”
Really?
Ibelisse: “Yes, the village of Echizen in Fukui Prefecture. They’ve been making paper there using traditional methods for centuries. There’s even an altar dedicated to the ‘paper goddess’ — the whole life of the village revolves around paper. They make paper from the gampi plant that lasts for centuries and isn’t eaten away by ink. During the Dutch Golden Age, that paper was a luxury item. Rembrandt used it for his etchings. In fact, we discovered Echizen through an exhibition at the Rembrandt House.”
Jochem: “For us, it felt poetic to travel to that village. We’ve now been three times and have built a relationship there — they know us and create custom paper for us. Their paper is also used by major brands like Louis Vuitton, and even by Formula 1. It sounds strange, but paper is actually very useful; it’s often used as an intermediate layer. The artist Theo Jansen even uses it for the sails of his kinetic beach creatures.”
Wow.
Ibelisse: “Paper isn’t just paper, you know? Some types are very close to textiles. And each type has its own sound properties. Jochem makes extensive tables and drawings to chart the different types of noise various papers make.”
Is what you do on stage improvised?
Ibelisse: “No, we use our own notation system. We have a deck of cards with graphic symbols representing different instruments and sounds, and we use that to create a score. The score consists of a series of tiles laid out on the floor. Only the duration isn’t fixed.”
And you move around the stage?
Jochem: “We used to have a typical band setup, but now it’s more like a kind of walk. The Paper Ensemble has become more of a visual experience too, and Ibelisse especially moves around the space a lot. Those movements in the space actually make your ears tune in. You start listening better because of what you see.”
Ibelisse: “On the other hand, I’m sometimes completely floored when I hear our recordings. Like, wow, what is that sound? Precisely because you don’t see the source, it becomes more mysterious.”
Jochem: “I get that. I often feel like turning the lights off during a performance.”
Ibelisse: “We really should release an LP.”
Do you have any tips for first-time Paper Ensemble visitors?
Jochem: “With The Paper Ensemble, you get a lot, but also very little, in the sense that you really have to start listening yourself. Sharpen your ears. Listen with your eyes.”
Ibelisse: “The performance is rich and layered, but that’s not immediately obvious. You have to recalibrate your perception. Listen on a smaller scale, with more nuance. If you’re willing to do that and step into our world, it’ll change you.”