Variations 2024
In partnership with the Fondation BNP Paribas, Le Lieu Unique, the centre for contemporary culture in Nantes, is organising an annual festival of experimental music based around the piano and keyboards: Variations.
From Saturday 30 March to Sunday 7 April 2024, Variations will present some thirty concerts spanning across jazz, electronic, experimental, traditional and pop music, while showcasing the exciting mix of genres at play in contemporary musical creation.
Variations will be staged across multiple different venues, from the galleries of the Musée d’art, to the rarefiedsetting of the Chapelle de l'immaculée or the workshops of the Libre Usine. The festival will also take up residence with long-standing partners Stereolux, Pannonica and the Cinématographe, as well as with a new collaborator, Trempolino.
Creating experiences in a variety of different formats remains the festival’s mantra, always looking to disrupt our habits as spectators: deep, introspective listening or, on the contrary, powerful, extreme sounds, talks, film screenings, clubbing... Variations aims to offer moments of sharing, celebration and collective energy.
From contemporary classics to the most cutting edge international musical trends, for 10 days, audiences of all ages—expert, enthusiasts, and newcomers alike—will be immersed in the excitement of a programme packed with discoveries and new experiences, all at affordable prices and with a host of free events.
With the artists : Oneohtrix Point Never (USA) • Sunn O))) (USA) • Julia Holter (USA) • Lonnie Holley (USA) • Xavier Veilhan & Alexis Bertrand (Fr) • Bruce Brubaker (USA) • Maryanne Amacher par les ensembles Contrechamps et Zwischentöne (USA/Suisse /Allemagne) • Valentina Magaletti (Italie) • Marie Davidson (Canada) • Widad Mjama et Khalil Hentati, Aïta Mon Amour (Maroc/France) • Deena Abdelwahed (Qatar) • Rusnam (All) • The Separatist Party (USA) • Matana Roberts (USA) • Amaro Freitas (Brésil) • Joep Beving (Pays-Bas) • Goat (Japon) • Noémi Büchi (Suisse) • Clarissa Connelly (Écosse) • Harrga (Angleterre) • Melaine Dalibert (Fr)• Radio Hito (France) • Faten Kanaan (Syrie/Palestine/Jordanie/Liban) • Pauline Oliveros (USA) • Cole Pulice (USA) • Aude Rabillon & Soizic Lebrat (France) • Clément Vercelletto (France) • Jessica Winter (Angleterre) • Bruit Noir (France) • …
Diane Severin Nguyen’s photographs invites us to immerse ourselves in the question of the meanings and significance of the material world. In ephemeral compositions, the artist combines synthetic objects (chains, textiles…) with organic substances (hair, fruit…), at times adding liquids or combustible materials. Her vibrantly coloured images can destabilise perception. This occurs both by playing with a sense of scale and by the materials that she uses taking on the appearance of torn flesh or distintegrating matter. By playing on this evocative power of objects, Nguyen tells stories about the invisible or imperceptible fragilities of the flesh, and ways in which our bodies contaminate themselves.
Diane Severin Nguyen (born in 1990, in Carson City, California) lives and works between Los Angeles and New York. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in the United States and worldwide, including exhibition at the Huis Marseille, Amsterdam (2022); the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2020); the 13th Shanghai Biennale (2020) and at the SculptureCenter in New York (2019). Her films were shown at the 57th New York Film Festival (2019) and at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (2020)
