volapük

In volapük, the orchestra is a continent, with each group of instruments embodying different regions. The concept is based on the attempt to make instruments sound alike, or to imitate the sound of another instrument. Thus, the piece’s ‘soundscape’ will be a collection of similarities in which differences always show through. The title refers to an early attempt at a constructed ‘world language’, the Volapük language, with its idea of overcoming differences by standardisation. In this sense, my piece will deal with the ambiguity of assimilating versus accepting, or even emphasising, differences. Benjamin Schweitzer