Verbondenheid - a soundscape by Moniek Darge

This composition, along with other projects, celebrates my overcoming of breast cancer.
During a routine medical checkup in the summer of 1997 the cancer was discovered and a year later a team of physicians decided a preventive breast amputation was unavoidable, since after several surgeries and the maximum allowance of radiotherapy they were convinced this cancer was the kind that would keep coming back. As a practicing Buddhist and member of the world peace movement, the Soka Gakkai International, I told them I was sure no preventive amputation would be necessary, because I believed I could prevent amputation through my Buddhist practice, if I really determined to do so.
Six months later, in the spring of 1999, I was healed 100 percent. The medical staff had the evidence.

To celebrate this, I spent the summer and part of the autumn of 1999 realising a series of projects called "Verbondenheid", which roughly translates to mean "unity with the universe".
Under this theme I made several music boxes, an open-air happening, drawings, voice and violin improvisations with other musicians, poems, writings, and also this electro-acoustic composition. The latter was spatialized in 8 channels with the kind help of the Canadian composer Darren Copeland during the Sound Travels residency in November 1999 at the Logos Foundation in Ghent, Belgium.

My broader "Verbondenheid"-project as such though didn't end with this November event. In fact it even could become a life long "project in progress"…

"Verbondenheid 1999" reached it's climax on New Years Eve with a live radiotalk over the Inmarsat telephone with composer Douglas Quin realising soundscapes on Antarctica.. We were able to bring at the end of the millennium a wonderful live talk to the listeners, featuring topics like:
the overcoming of time and space by human technology and communicationsystems, causing a togetherness from this side of the world to the other side, togetherness also with the world of the animals: sounds of animals as music, as part of a communication between artist and audience
and broader:
togetherness with the earth: the sounds of ice, glaciers, and togetherness as part of the same universe: the sound of wind and the antarctic light....

The programme was broadcasted on December 31, 1999 on VRT - Radio3 (the cultural programme of the official Flemish radio) and the producer was Bart Stouten.

The soundscape "Verbondenheid" is a composition featuring the voices of Tine Hofman, Moniek Darge and Turkish Turtles that celebrates the never ending cycle of death and life. It is dedicated to two of my girlfriends Els Roosens and Pauline van der Zee. To whom I wish for complete healing.

Moniek DARGE - june - november 1999