Disasterpiece (2026)
Disasterpiece is an audio piece by Shervine Sheikh Rezaei and Victor Gybels that explores the collision of pain and pleasure, both as concepts and through vocal expression. We began with a recorded vocal performance in which the performer transforms expressions of agony, tension, and discomfort into something resembling song. The voice moves between screams and musical phrases, exploring the boundaries between suffering and expression and questioning where they begin to blur.
The recording was then processed through Orchidea, software developed at IRCAM that generates orchestral accompaniments based on the analysis of target sounds and datasets of orchestral recordings. In this case, Orchidea is confronted with a voice that exists outside conventional musical structures. By translating the characteristics of screams and strained vocalizations into orchestral material, the software produces an unstable and fragmented response.
The resulting score shifts between moments of musicality and dissonance, perhaps reflecting the pressure placed upon us to remain polished, perfect, and presentable, even in moments of vulnerability and distress. More broadly, Disasterpiece explores the possibility of finding artistic expression and musicality in unexpected places.
Vocals by Shervin/e Sheikh Rezaei. Recording, production & mixing by Victor Gybels.
The audio was played alongside a dyptich of drawings by Shervin/e Sheikh Rezaei. © Kristien Daems.