Birds Of Paradise Festival Returns For Second Year

Curator Valgeir Sigurdsson shares his thoughts on creativity and music ahead of the event.

With the beginning of spring in sight and the trees full in bloom and blossoms, it’s events like Birds of Paradise that keeps us slowly warming up to get excited about the soon to come spring and summer festival season in Europe.

Now in its second year Birds of Paradise Festival is a 4 days-long festival hosted in the middle of the Netherlands in a fairy tale look alike city called Utrecht. It’s the country’s oldest city and famously know about its vibrant student life, wonderful unique cannels and wharfs that are now filled with restaurants, craft shops, cafés, venues and boutiques.

The festival is mainly taking place in the evening in the Utrecht’s prestige know music venue, TivoliVredenburg that started off as a squatter’s house in the 70s were most of Dutch parents (like my own) smoked a joint while listening to bands and alterative artist, now grown into one of the most important music venues in the country. Its second edition of the festival also lands for two days (the 17 and the 18 of March) in the renowned Antwerp art house, De Singel in Belgium. Antwerp is small and diverse city with a rich cultural history and busting art scene.

These venues are the ideal partners to provide these ‘Birds of Paradise’ with an extra landing ground. An extra bonus is that the festival is taking place in the evening, which leaves a lot of free time to explore the center of these two beautiful cities before the concerts start.

The festival has reserved a one-day residence for each bird of paradise. Each artist presents an exclusive performance created for the festival. Music that pushes boundaries; with theatrical, visual and digital elements. In addition to that new work, the festival also presents unexpected collaborations and an extensive curated context program.

Alongside the festival performances, there is a cutting-edge digital element to Birds of Paradise. Each of the artists performing are invited to curate an Artist Room, filling it with curiosites related to their performance and artistic vision. One of the rooms, curated by Valgeir Sigurðsson is respectively open here.

Icelandic producer/composer Valgeir Sigurdsson and the Belgian theatre maker/countertenor Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe are opening (March 17th at De Singel, Antwerp) and closing (March 19th at TivoliVredenburg) the festival in a two-piece that holds the Art of Listening in high esteem. Presenting a new piece composed on the verge of modern classical and electronic music in a unique collaboration.

I was lucky enough to interview Valgeir last Saturday, during a zoom call from the basement of Centre Pompidou where he was setting up for a collaborative installation that is opening in the end of April in Paris. His presence was ironically contrasting with the darkness of the basement wherein he was happily explaining his background and answering the couple questions, I had for him over zoom. 

How would you describe your sound to someone that never listen to your music before?

“You know, it's always a strange thing for me to describe, I obviously come across people who haven't heard my music before and then ask me “what do you do, what does your music sounds like?” and I always answer “Well.. eh... it sounds like... I don’t know?!” I guess it’s hard to give a short answer to it.”

“I aim to find the meeting point between acoustic and electronics sounds, and I try to create something that resonates with me as something that is not entirely placeable in space and time, like the concept of “The human has a mechanical colliding, or a meeting, or fighting against each.” I think that is one way to describe it.”

“In terms of looking for different dimensions in music, I try to make use of acoustic sounds and instruments processed in an electronic way. It’s very much about the interest I take from loads of influences and inspirations that sometimes have very direct music licenses, but also often is just connected to my emotions or experiences. Music is my way of expressing.” Vulgeir Laughs and says, “It’s a very long way around to say music is my world.”

Are there any visual artist or films you take inspiration from?

“There are obviously artists I have admired, and I have gone through phases of being really, really deeply into an artist or, into certain films, but I don't think that I could say there is a visual equivalent or thing I aim to achieve, but I mean, I often look for different things in different aspects.” 

“I have collaborated with visual artist and recently did an interesting collaboration with an artist for the Venice Biennale. The artist I worked with was making art related to microscopic visualizations with moving images and sculptures, where I created the sound for. Situation where in some one is digging deep into something and representing it visually in a way that resonates with me as a sound designer and composer are the kinds of collaboration that inspire me.” 

“In the past, or when I was growing up, my first real kind of strong impression with a visual artist was when I discovered the paintings of Dalí. His abstract world and his kind of humor by turning things upside down and looking at things through a unique lens grabbed me as a child. After that, you know, I progressed to other artists.” His eyes wonder away while stating another pressures childhood example. “I remember I got deeply affected by the first time I saw a Rothko painting, these really strong colours, almost as an infinite dimension just in one painting and with a seemly minimal use of material. It formed my growing up I think and my ideas of how I would like to express musical ideas. You move through things and discover new things. There is always something new to learn and to discover, that’s what I find stimulating and exciting.”

How do you feel about playing at the Birds of Paradise Festival?

“I’m super excited to do this project together with Benjamin. We've been thrown together into this situation to creating a new program and create something together. A lot of times my connections are through people I first met somewhere else and then I start working with them, but with Benjamin I had an introduction through this project. We had this kind of blind date where in we were supposed to make music and it happened quite naturally for us. Then obviously, there's a lot of fine-tuning and details what had to be done after. We are being put on stage on a certain date together and it creates a situation for us to have to come up with something that we feel confident in to present. I think it's a good kind of ‘jumping-off’ point for us to get really deep into the collaboration. So, I am excited.”

Yes I can imagine you’re exciting to play this piece life!

“No, I think it’s actually scary sometimes, but you know, I feel like that's kind of a good way to grow. It is about to be given a deadline. People will show up, so there is no way to not do it, and so you will do your best.”

Have you been before in Utrecht?

“I've been before yes; I think I played there with Coco Rosie during their tour in some year. I forgot in which year, oh yes, and with Bedroom Community. I think I've played at the same venue (Tivoli) before, but I’m not sure.”

It’s actually my hometown!

“Oh really?” Vulgeir looks surprised at me with a bit of guilt in his eyes. “I mean the problem is that I always stop for so short in places, you know, I'm only there for one day now.” The unnecessary guilt in his eyes makes sense now.

“You get in, you set up, you do the show, and you go, you are lucky when you see a street, maybe you'll get to taste some good food in a local place. The Netherlands, it’s always a pleasure to visit, people are friendly, and venues are nice, you know, it’s been one of my sort of places I go to when I play live and for some reason people come to the shows and they like my music and I don’t know, I am just very happy and feel grateful to be invited!”

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

“Be curious, be open, be excited about stuff and life!”

This year’s Birds of Paradise Festival takes place on March 17th, at Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht and De Singel in Antwerp, with a ticket yours around €75/£67 for the whole festival! There is also an option to buy individual tickets to the concerts of your own preferences like the one of Valgeir and Benjamin. So be quick as there are some shows sold out all ready.