Words by Sophia Nowak, Photography by Igor Pjörtt Music Tip: Caterina Barbieri and Bendik Giske’s “At Source” Words by Sophia Nowak, Photography by Igor Pjörtt Artists Caterina Barbieri and Bendik Giske have joined forces to produce an album together that results in an interplay of intimate and cosmic sounds through the uniqueness of both. While listening, one can see how both have pushed their boundaries and met in the middle outside their usual repertoire to create something entirely new with the sound of the other. The two artists first met in 2019 at Kunsthaus Glarus where they saw each other perform. The artistic director of the Venice Biennale music department praised by the New York Times and the Norwegian saxophonist came together through their mutual fascination and conversations about the power of transitions, after which Giske reworked a piece by Barbieri for saxophone and his own voice. In 2021 they met again. Working together was so harmonious that Giske immediately joined Barbieri’s ongoing Light Years tour. The feedback the two received for their collaboration was essential for their future path. Their music sounds of freedom and vastness, it is calming and yet very vibrant. While Caterina Barbieri plays her synthesizer almost like a natural instrument, Bendik Giske literally merges with his saxophone and his own body while making music. However, this collaboration between human and machine was not always easy. Barbieri’s device often produces very exact mathematical tone sequences that are physically almost impossible for a human to replicate. To bring their different playing styles into harmony at all, they sometimes even had to resort to mathematical calculations. Giske describes the experience as a deep dive into his inner self that demanded his absolute commitment. For Barbieri, however, the collaboration exposes the intersection of humanity and technology, highlighting the vulnerability that emerges when both worlds collide. The result of these two worlds is a unique sound experience titled At Source. It was noticeably the work of two perfectionists who not only fully utilized their talents but also managed to combine their worlds without losing themselves in them.
