SUBSET FESTIVAL 2025 - DAY 4

20:00 - AMPHITHEATRE Michalis Paraskakis & Eleonore Schönmaier - Field Guide (to the lost flower) [COMMISSION] Field Guide [to the lost flower] is an innovative multimedia music theatre piece by composer Michalis Paraskakis in collaboration with poet Eleonore Schönmaier. Inspired by Schönmaier's poetry collection Field Guide to the Lost Flower of Crete, the work weaves music, text, video, theatre, and electronics into a unified, immersive performance. The three central characters of the piece are two performers and a grand piano, which transforms into a multi-functional object—a stage, instrument, and overall physical entity that drives the entire action. At its core, the work explores abstract themes of loss and time, suggesting an unspoken yet ever-present sense of absence—whether the loss of a loved one or the loss of nature— while the mundanity of everyday life carries on uninterrupted. This contrast creates a surreal, dreamlike, and at times humorous reality, where the performers find themselves trapped in a "constant present." The piano is deconstructed and utilised in unconventional ways: its keys, strings, pedals, metal, and wooden body are manipulated to generate layered sounds and harmonics. Paraskakis' staging blends fragmented, whispered, sung, or silent text with dynamic video projections and subtle lighting, merging auditory and visual experiences. The performers transform into sound instruments and “assume” roles as characters, engaging in symbolic gestures—such as obsessively smoking electronic cigarettes—as an expression of futile contemplation. The text-video segment pays homage to Yannis Kyriakides’ “text pieces” and is treated not just as a carrier of meaning but also as sound—spoken, scattered, gasped, or silent—adding texture and emotion. At the same time, images of flowers and fruits (from Schönmaier’s poems) and deserted, decaying tourist resorts filmed during the warm, sunny Halcyon days of January are interwoven with the text, evoking a sense of fragmented memory and suspended time. New Babylon ensemble / ARTéfacts ensemble - Time and Money [COMMISSION] Time and Money is a multimedia concert (live electronics and video), the fruit of the collaboration between the musical ensembles New Babylon (based in Bremen) and ARTéfacts ensemble (based in Athens). On the one hand, it aims to the sharing of experiences and approaches to musical interpretation, bringing together two musical ensembles from different countries. On the other hand, it seeks to reach and converse with the Greek audience—through music—on the social dimension of time, money, and our economic system, exploring the range of human behaviours that emerge in relation to these concepts. Pierre Jodlowski’s Time and Money, a work for solo percussion, electronics, and video, serves as the programme’s centrepiece. It transpires as a direct reaction to the absurdity of our economic system, shaped in such a way as to appropriately frame the musical composition. It begins with a sequence played on a wooden cube, which functions as a symbol of an elemental object that comes in sharp contrast to technology (motion capture, real-time video). The composition develops further through loops and cycles of rhythmic patterns, while the use of pre-recorded material, mainly through speeches from radio broadcasts and films, introduces a second level of reading for the listener, simultaneously activating certain collective memories. The concert is framed by three additional works-commissions by composers Dimitris Papageorgiou, Andreas Paparousos and Irini Amargianaki. The performance is conducted by Cecilia Castagneto. GENERAL ADMISSION €12 STUDENTS/ 65+/ ARTISTS’ UNIONS/ MULTI-CHILD FAMILIES/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €9,60 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES/ UNEMPLOYED/ ART STUDENTS €5 - 22:30 - ARTS FOYER Ryoji Ikeda Ryoji Ikeda, Japan’s leading electronic composer and visual artist, focuses on the fundamental ingredients of sound and the pure essence of visuals as light, employing both mathematical precision and aesthetic insights. Renowned as one of the few international artists working convincingly across both visual and sonic media, he elaborately orchestrates sound, visuals, materials, physical phenomena and mathematical concepts into immersive live performances and installations. His albums +/- (1996), 0°C (1998), matrix (2000), dataplex (2005), test pattern (2008), and supercodex (2013), pioneered a new minimal world of electronic music, showcasing his razor-sharp techniques and aesthetics. Ikeda has continued to evolve through long-term projects, including audiovisual performances, installations, and acoustic music pieces. His books and CDs are published under codex | edition, the online platform he launched in 2018. In December 2022, codex I edition and noton (DE) released ultratronics, his first new album in the past ten years. In 2023, Ikeda premiered his new audiovisual live set ultratronics in Japan at WWW X Shibuya, MUTEK.JP and Fuji Rock Festival, with European showcases at Sonar Barcelona and Pitchfork London at The Barbican. The performance includes the use of strobe lighting during the video projection, as well as high sound intensity levels. GENERAL ADMISSION €8 STUDENTS/ 65+/ ARTISTS’ UNIONS/ MULTI-CHILD FAMILIES/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €6,60 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES/ UNEMPLOYED/ ART STUDENTS €5