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As part of the fabric of the many wars in our history, ordinary people and soldiers kept in prison camps in Europe, and elsewhere in the world, have used bread as a creative tool. 'Normal' materials and objects were completely denied, and bread was their nutrition - for life, creativity and the spirit. Bread was used to mold dice, marbles, pipes, or even exquisite chessmen from kneaded bread moistened with saliva.
"One had to have a real surge of creativity to sacrifice one third of his daily bread ration in order to make a ring, dice or some other knick-knack". (taken from Without Vodka by Aleksander Topolski.)
"I have seen a chess set made in 1808 by a French prisoner in the Balearic island of Cabrera, where some 20,000 prisoners were confined till they starved". (quote: Ricardo Calvo.)
For the Lublin 2000 BreadMatters forum, I composed a sonic work ('Bread Platter') that related to the influences and characteristics of bread, and which also had a base of percussive sounds produced by bread itself.
In Lisbon, for BreadMatters II in September 2003, I presented "Sounds in Bread" - an improvisation using bread, some of it being prepared, and a variety of implements. Bread Platter will form the backdrop for the improvisation, forging a sonic link with BreadMatters I.
The work is in honour of those brave and resourceful victims of cruel punishment in our history, and in recognition of suffering across the world today, in front of our eyes.
Click this link for "SOUNDS IN BREAD" use back button to return.
Bread exists most, in places of conversation and exchange - the kitchen, the dining room, the café, the restaurant table. Each loaf and each roll might only ever hear the sound of a few words, only part of a conversation. 'Bread Exchange' explores that experience. Listen to words left by the previous visitor by left-clicking the mouse, and then leave your own message or response (write it down, and then record it using the microphone and mouse; hold right-click whilst talking. Then place the paper in the box for safe keeping).
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