This workshop reminded me once again that vulnerability is where creativity is born, that growth unfolds as an act of creation, and that art carries the quiet power to mend what we cannot name. And heal us.
We entered the realm of silence—the kind that feels alive. A silence that has its own language, it speaks to us and listens back. In that still, unhurried space, there is no need to prove, perform, or possess the answers. You simply are. And in that simple being, something deep within begins to change.
History:
In May 1968, as a reaction to personal and general crisis, the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote 14 text compositions that can also serve as improvisation instructions for ‘intuitive music’.
What can you expect?
The aim of this workshop, which is a set of activities that integrate body, mind, sound and nature, is to reduce stress, develop intuition and return to the home of your body. The workshop that will take place 07-10. August, 2025, at the John Cage Academy in Halberstadt, Germany is a continuation of Stockausen's idea, which in the current times of multi-crisis seems very relevant.
The practical workshop, which is open to talks and discussion, is aimed at all those interested in music and self development, even those with little or even no knowledge and experience. Instrumentalists, vocalists, performers and musical enthusiasts can expect an extensive programme with a large practical component of improvised/intuitive music, inspired by the text compositions of the ‘Seven Days’.
Technical conditions
at location: Grand piano at the venue. All other instruments have to be brought by the participants themselves.
1 microphone with stand, 1 mixing console and a
2-channel system available on site.
All other equipment has to be brought by the participants themselves.
Who?
Gareth Davis - Dutch-based British composer, artist, and musician whose work spans contemporary classical, orchestral music, free improvisation, rock, noise, sound art, and electronica. He has premiered works by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Bernhard Lang, Peter Ablinger, Toshio Hosokawa, and Chaya Czernowin at events such as the Venice Biennale, Pompidou Centre, Maerz Musik Berlin, and the Guggenheim. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras including the SWR Symphonieorchester, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, and collaborated with ensembles like the Neue Vocalsolisten and Arditti Quartet, improvisers such as Elliott Sharp and Michael Mantler, bands Neu! and Henry Cow, electronic artists Robin Rimbaud and Merzbow, and multimedia creators Christian Marclay and Peter Greenaway.
Dellfina Dellert – Polish expressive arts therapist and member of the NeuroArts Resource Center, as well as the founder of FlowLab – Laboratory of Creative Development and Expressive Arts Therapy. Through workshops, classes, and individual sessions, she guides participants on their most profound journey: the one leading to the essence of the self. A multidisciplinary artist, journalist, and documentary film director, she has lived and worked in London, Barcelona, Stockholm, and Paris, and is now based in Warsaw. Dellert is a passionate advocate for neuroart, neuroaesthetics, and the idea of art on prescription.
Christoph Ogiermann - German violinist, composer, improviser, visual artist, and one of the artistic director of the John Cage Academy in Halberstadt. His work bridges the spectrum between sound and noise, seamlessly navigating between composed structure and free improvisation. Ogierermann performs his genre-defying music in live settings and collaborates across disciplines, integrating experimental and intuitive music. As a director at the Cage Academy, he guides creative programming and supports artistic experiments rooted in John Cage’s legacy of chance, radical openness, and the interplay of sound, silence, and form.
Language: English / German translation possible
Registration deadline July 15th 2025 under: action@aslsp.org
For further questions please contact Christoph Ogiermann: ogiermann@aslsp.org
Workshop fee: 200.- Euro / Reduction by request
Overnight stays are possible in the Cage House or in the garden: please bring your own sleeping bag, mattress etc.
An event of the Cage-Academy Halberstadt in the series ‘Cage-Experience’ with the support of: Foundation Mousai, Aerdenhout, Netherlands (https://mousai.nl/)
https://www.cage-academy.de/en/cage-workshop-1