Pierre Bastien deepens his exploration of “elsewhere,” as well as the materiality of sound, through the machinery of his vast Mecanium.
With Tools, Pierre Bastien deepens his lifelong fascination with the idea of "elsewhere". The title nods to a text by René Van Peer, "I compose with a screwdriver", evoking the humble tool that has shaped Bastien's mechanical music since 1976. Performing on assemblages built from Meccano parts, Bastien invites us first to observe its raw mechanics: the clash of gears, the hum of rotation, the tension between precision and accident.
At its core lies a unique machine built in 2018 —a rhythm section, six-valve harmonies, a rotating nail violin, spinning flute mouthpieces, and an automated record player skeleton. But the device holds its hidden sonic secrets. What emerges, unplanned, is the essence of discovery: the unexpected remains invisible until it takes form. And to discover is to understand that the world we knew has expanded. That's why Bastien's creative process is a precious reminder that "elsewhere", and its multitude of worlds, is already, here, right beside us.
Pierre Bastien (born 1953 in Paris) is a French experimental musician, composer and musical instrument builder.
Bastien post-graduated in eighteenth-century French literature at University Paris-Sorbonne. In 1977 he built his first musical machinery. For the next ten years he has been composing for dance companies and playing with
Pascal Comelade. In the meantime he was constantly developing his mechanical orchestra. Since 1987 he concentrates on it through solo performances, sound installations, recordings and collaborations with such artists as
Pierrick Sorin, Karel Doing, Jean Weinfeld, Robert Wyatt or Issey Miyake.
