HAROLD SCHELLINX – SPLINTERS VAN EEUWIGHEID

Cassette, https://kringloopkassettes.bandcamp.com/

This is the first time I heard of this artist, so I looked around for information about him. Turns out he’s been active in experimental and otherwise ‘different’ or even ‘difficult’ music since the early 80’s. He was co-founder, editor and correspondent to the Dutch legendary Vinyl magazine and studied Sonology in Utrecht. And even though the rest of his history might be as attractive to write an article about, the part of his Sonology studies is where this project started.

Eeuwigheid translates to eternity, and with a simple algorithm, he has generated “Splinters van Eeuwigheid” (Slivers of Eternity) since 1983. This algorithm needs to be included here:

— Make a sound;

— Wait some time (it may be zero);

-Repeat

A well-chosen randomized pattern will result in a random sound being played—in this case sinewaves with a random frequency—with certain lengths and with a certain pause until the next one is played. Harold created this eternal method on a small device, and ever since this summer, it’s been playing in his living room.

The sequence was recorded 54 times in blocks of 45 minutes, and each of the 26 cassettes has two of these 45-minute pieces. These are the two seemingly random numbers mentioned on the cover. Two remaining 45-minute pieces have found their way to the digital version of this release. Not only are the recordings mere slivers of this project, but the complete release is a sliver as well. Therefore this release will end very high in the ‘Best of 2024’-list of Georg Cantor and others alike who have been active in the fields of math, physics and/or art.

John Cage might even well be envious of the concept, as ASLSP only lengthens the time over which it is performed. Okay, it will end around the year 2640, but hey, this piece is meant to be played forever. Let’s hope that eternity will bring the current world past 2640, but that is a whole different discussion altogether.