Knots

The surrounding novelty breaches the hull of the ship: at such times, art connoisseurs attempt to draw conclusions from the forms of openings—often fortuitous ones. However, these openings do not actually represent the Novelty itself; rather, they merely indicate the holes through which its pressure struck. It has not yet assumed its final form, merely pointing to those points where it broke through—the demand for Manifestation itself.

Miklós Erdély

 

What comes to mind when we hear the word “knot”? The inedible dish? The Gordian knot? The enigma awaiting resolution? In days of yore, knights tied knots on their handkerchiefs, reminding them of something important they must not forget. The speed of travel on the endless seas is measured and expressed in knots by sailors. Free-diving divers once measured their performance by knots on a line dropped into the water, indicating meters.

 

At this very moment, knots signify formations where forces of different energies somehow converge and focus on a common point. It is never predictable what will happen with or within them. Sometimes, it’s not even visible how many knots exist in such a formation and what kind of energy is concentrated within. Similar to the phenomena mentioned by Erdély, we only experience the existence of these knots; we do not yet know their nature and impact. Therefore, we must take them equally seriously because we cannot predict how they will behave. Will they explode from the forces within, or will they quietly and gracefully—perhaps imperceptibly—dissolve?

 

In keeping with its tradition, the 2024 11th Transparent Sound New Music Festival focuses on innovations—seeking value in the new and searching for novelty in the old. The demand for completeness is unnecessary and meaningless—after all, these knots are still, in a way, just “holes.” The game is deadly serious, yet driven by the joy of discovery: there are still so many knots that could be common ground or open gates to new territories.

 

Marcell Dargay