Herbert Elsky
Theatre Las Balubas is a sound installation and performance space
in the Limousin region of France created by Herbert Elsky in
2004.
In this unique environment, only using everyday
objects, animated by oscillating fans and ceiling fans, a large
variety of rhythms and auditory ambiances are created.
The sound journeys are intuitive, unpredictable and
unrepeatable which creates an environment where awareness is
heightened and communication is immediate. The listener is drawn
into a soundscape where the relation between the sounds and the
objects creating the sounds, is not evident.
One’s
perceptions are awakened and each person creates their own story
as the layers of sound are juxtaposed and articulate the space.
Through these sounds and structures, the spectator/audience is
given access to an experience that is both tangible and
intangible. We share the process of creation.
I am delighted and honored to announce that I will be
performing with two amazing artists, Olivier Duperron and
Charlène Martin, in July. Places are limited so early
reservations are suggested.
July 16 at 20H and 17 at 17H -
Reservation at 0631 12 90 74
“Now is the Time” was an exceptional meeting of three
unique and singular ways to create music.
My sound
theatre, known for its "low tech" approach,
receives the "Electronic Machines" of Olivier
Duperron, saxophonist, to which the voice of Charlène
Martin adds a mysterious emotion and depth.
The Mégisserie in St. Junien was a slaughterhouse before
it got converted to a beautiful theater.
"Mbongui"
was based on a traditional African healing ceremony to
bring peace to the spirits of the animals which were
slaughtered and to the people who worked there. It was a
celebration of transformation from a place of death into
a place of creative expression.
The name "AMA" is a shortened version of
Amatarasu Omikami, the central deity in the creation
myth of Japan. According to the myth she hid in a cave
and was seduced to come out by seeing her own brilliance
reflected in a mirror. This composition was meant to
inspire the muse who is hidden in the darkness of each
of our subconscious to reveal herself to us.
Three is more than one
Dividing the space beetwen time
Even the sad and broken heart has a rythm
Song of welcoming to a to a primitive village
I am an american artist, born in Los Angeles, where I studied Art
at UCLA. Since 1995 I live in the gentle hills of the Limousin
region in France.
Making art has always felt to me
like a sacred activity, a kind of alchemical experience that is
inconceivable and undefinable. It reveals new dimensions of who
we are as human beings and transcends our perception of
conventional awareness.
In 2004, inspired by the large volume of the barn on our farm in
the countryside and haunted by the question: "Can sculptures
become a way to create a sound installation? " the idea of
the Theatre Las Balubas was born. Old barrels, a cement mixer,
garden sprinklers, pots and pans became my first
"instruments".
Since then the theater has evolved through many phases of
inventing new "instruments" and reconfiguring the space
to create “sound journeys”. In recent years I have been joined by
a wide variety of performing artists, musicians, singers,
dancers, Buto dancers, poets, and a marionettist .
The
compositions are intuitive, unpredictable, and unrepeatable,
which creates an environment where awareness is heightened and
communication is immediate, therefore, very alive! We share the
process of creation.
One cannot buy, own, or hold onto the experience. The
experience is the living moment itself!
One of the most important influences in my life was the Tibetan
Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, with whom I
studied for 17 years. His teachings about “Dharma Art”, and the
"Art in everyday life” changed my perception completely.
Creativity became integrated into every activity in my life
instead of being a special separate thing to sell or exhibit.
The
other important influence for the theatre itself was the sculptor
Jean Tinguely. “Las Balubas”
refers to a series of his works. He was one of my early hero’s
and it is his example of daring humor, challenging and
aesthetically engaging work, that inspired the creation of the
theatre.