Bendik Hvamen Giske: Subversive Disentanglements

Field of study: Artistic Research

In a phrase intended to describe the creative power of opposition, Subversive Disentanglements aim to embody the processes that make out artistic and sonic developments that simultaneously oppose and carry forward tradition. Giske argues that this type of subversive thrust makes out the very core of the development of jazz from its birth out of the African American experience to the multifaceted and much-disputed genre it is today: Perpetually and hopefully in opposition to its previous self, and a sonic consequence of emancipatory practices.

By drawing upon the queer theory that has emerged over the last decades, Giske sees an opportunity to investigate improvisation and the performance of his instrument from a queer perspective, one that, in the words of Muñoz “(…) is not yet here, but (it) approaches us like a crashing wave of potentiality. And we must give in to its propulsion (…)” (Muñoz, 2009: Utopia, p. 185)

Rather than honing in on specific sonic qualities of his instrument (saxophone) as the locus of his artistic research, he seeks to take a holistic perspective. This includes both sonic and performative pursuits, documenting and reflecting upon the unintended sonic consequences, and creating proposed cartography for what can be understood as a queer approach to creating and improvising with and on an instrument.