Figures in Movement – Composition and Philosophical Investigations
Title Image: Nicolas Constantin: Variations IX (2015), performance based audio-visual composition, interactive installation
Figuren in Bewegung: Werkstrukturen, Handlungsweisen, Denkbewegungen
The central field of research Figures in Movement approaches investigations of complex real time systems regarding the entanglements between structural, bodily and conceptual movement.
»With [his performance based audio-visual composition] ›Variations IX‹, [an interactive installation], Nicolas Constantin opens up an experimental space for every visitor to explore both personal freedom and the interdependency of mediated activity in a downright dance like way (...) Like Cage, Constantin charts and fathoms the conditions of media spaces. All too often, such spaces prescribe certain patterns of behavior. In order to achieve the individual freedom of personal movement, these patterns need to be broken up.« Murr, Karl Borromäus (2015): Nicolas Constantin, Variations IX. München [Hirmer], Katalog »Kunst I Stoff«, S. 34-39. pdf: nicolas-constantin-variationsix-hirmer.pdf
Interview Figuren in Bewegung – Philosophie und Kunst (2021):
Figuren in Bewegung – Philosophie und Kunst, in: schauinsblau, Magazine for Literature, Art and Science
Publication Spiele als multimodale Laboratorien (2025):
Inderst, Rudolf Thomas; Romanacci, Nicolas Constantin (2025): Digitale Spiele als multimodale Laboratorien. Zur Darstellung, Versuchsanordnung und Reflexion von Spielräumen und spielerischen Experimenten. Glückstadt, Verlag Werner Hülsbusch
Project Page: Spiele als multimodale Laboratorien
Dissertation Medien der Erkenntnis – Experimentalsysteme in Wissenschaft und Kunst (2022):
Nicolas Constantin Romanacci: Medien der Erkenntnis – Experimentalsysteme in Wissenschaft und Kunst. Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doktor der Philosophie in der Philosophischen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen bei Prof. Klaus Sachs-Hombach
Publikation: Universitätsbibliothek der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (siehe Bild oben), 12.07.2022:
Romanacci: Medien der Erkenntnis
Interview (2022):
From Bach to Buchla: Soundscapes of radical clarity and complexity
Interview with ADAM Audio, Berlin. The company has been developing, manufacturing and distributing loudspeakers in the field of Professional Audio.
Performance based audio-visual compositions
»Mit ›Variations IX‹ eröffnet Nicolas Constantin einen experimentellen Raum, der den Besucher dazu einlädt, in der Auseinandersetzung mit einem medialen Gegenüber die Autonomie sowie die Abhängigkeit eigener Aktivität – geradezu tänzerisch – zu erkunden (...) Wie Cage, so lotet Constantin die Bedingungen medialer Räume aus, die dem Menschen allzu oft bestimmte Verhaltensmuster verordnen, die es allerdings aufzubrechen gilt, um zur Freiheit der eigenen Bewegung zu gelangen.« Murr, Karl Borromäus (2015): Nicolas Constantin, Variations IX. München [Hirmer], Katalog »Kunst I Stoff«, S. 34-39. pdf: nicolas-constantin-variationsix-hirmer.pdf
Composition as basic approach
One essential point of origin for the working approach of Nicolas Constantin is music, with roots in classical guitar performance and composition. Seminal work: Kompositionen für Gitarre (1999). Musical practice and composition are crucial references, regarding coherence between material and form, the establishing of polyphonic structures and the entanglements related to a precisely formulated ambiguity.
Lucid Ambiguity – »The works of Nicolas Constantin are subtle and precise compositions. Offering space for considerations on various realms, always avoiding to be merely narrative, illustrative, documentary, abstract, conceptual or importunately fancy. Characterized through a well considered ambiguity, combined with a rigorously lucid composition.« Bataang*, art zine, issue 1, Berlin 2008
Figures in Movement – central motif
Figuren in Bewegung: Werkstrukturen, Handlungsweisen, Denkbewegungen
The central field of research Figures in Movement approaches investigations of complex real time systems regarding the entanglements between structural, bodily and conceptual movement.
As a reference work, combining the audio / visual / performative elements and the central problem of »figures in movement«, see the major interactive installation ›Variations IX‹, performance based audio-visual composition, 2015.
work in progress and work on view – news
2021
Klanginstallationen – research for colaborative composition commission
Experimental electroacoustic music
The work with my modular system, understood as a experimental system, has been initially discussed as a mere research focused endeavour, investigating basic concepts for sound installations, related and to be extended in the realm of an ai-based approach. My contribution to the project as a composer and musician developed increasingly towards incorporating the genuinely musical, performative and compositional aspects of the modular system, understood as a musical instrument, particularly also related to the colaboration with dancers. Major commission initially particularly related to various, interrelated concepts for colaborative Klanginstallationen. Initially related to TU-Munich, faculties Robotic and AI / Real Time Systems (Echtzeitsysteme). The work Klangkonzept for the Klanginstallationen and the compositions for the performances based from my perspective as a composer and musician on the work with my Modular System, understood as a genuin, highly complex Echtzeit- Experimentalsystem. Project page upcoming end 2021 / early 2022. See: experimental music
Interview (german): Figuren in Bewegung – Philosophie und Kunst, in: schauinsblau, Magazine for Literature, Art and Science
Publication: Nicolas, Constantin Romanacci (2021): Klangraum – Bildinteraktion. In: Lars C. Grabbe, Patrick Rupert-Kruse, Norbert M. Schmitz (Hg.): Bildmodi, Der Multimodalitätsbegriff aus bildwissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Marburg: Büchner
Multimodalität und Medienkunst aus philosophischer und musiktheoretischer Perspektive. Betrachtungen zu Bruce Nauman im Ausgang von Nelson Goodmans Symboltheorie und einer Tropen-Typologie minimalistischer Musik.
2020
Evocing the childhood memory of playing with a slide-puzzle, embodied paths to reflections about the nature of images constituting ourselves come into effect. Personal or philosophical considerations might be equally enclosed by a seemingly simple, yet iconic structure, increasingly puzzling on closer inspection.
work on view
»The Wrong just might be (...) the digital world’s answer to La Biennale di Venezia.« Chris Hampton for The New York Times
Work in progress
In April 2020, the work approach focused again and progressively on the sonic realm, after working on several performance based audio-visual work since 2015 and a new series of compositions for guitar for one year since April 2019 (first extensive series dating back to 1999 with the seminal Kompositionen für Gitarre).
Overlapping with the final compositions for guitar, completing the series »Paeans of Grace« – somehow traditional guitar music with a folk like approach – musical composition and performance reached a genuinely experimental level, particularly through the acquisition of several specific instruments to extend the possibilities in performance and composition with an increasing focus on interaction processes of modular synthesis – beautifully embracing the central investigation motif »figures in movement« .
The seminal influence of John Cage unfolded farther in the beginning of a series of experimental music with »Explorations I – John Cage Homage«.
Composition and Philosophical Investigations
In May 2020, artistic and philosophical investigations correlated coincidentally in a substantial and beautiful way regarding the structural analysis of experimental systems – focusing on the interaction between different areas – and the beginnings of experiments in composition and performance, particularly related to interaction processes of modular synthesis. Work and insights at: experimental music.
See the research section, including the PhD project Medien der Erkenntnis – Experimentalsysteme in Wissenschaft und Kunst and the series Philosophie und Kunst
work in progress – long-term investigations 2017-2021
liebenswert (2017, 2018 planning phase), participatory, performance based intervention, various media.
Nicolas Constantin's work could be investigated – described in shortest form – regarding three realms:
Composition, Movement, Ambiguity.
To get first insights in the work and approach of Nicolas Constantin it makes sense to start with the major installation Variations IX (2015), because of its seminal role as an exemplary cumulation of investigations done the decades before – on the other hand, Variations IX opened up problems and paths for further works. Furthermore, Variations IX did unfold the broader relevance regarding the core motif of figures in movement, referring on the one hand to concrete and bodily movement, on the other hand to movements on a conceptual level, finally, investigating particularly the entanglement between various aspects of movement.
An excellent, exemplary, highly recommended text regarding Variations IX you can find here (in German):
pdf: nicolas-constantin-variationsix-hirmer.pdf
link: catalogue
Murr, Karl Borromäus (2015): Nicolas Constantin, Variations IX. München [Hirmer], p. 34-39.
Performance based investigations in audio-visual composition
February 2018, the approach of Variations IX evolved to the conception of a new stage of long-term work series, referring to central aspects of Variations IX, though present from the beginning, now made more obvious through a precise formulation as performance based investigations in audio-visual composition.
See wall-triptychs, ball room and marks.
More elaboratedly epical introduction below, deliberately instead of a trendy and featureless »artist statement«. For further short insights, please skip to vita. Basically, experiencing the works directly comes first, take care.
Annotation: Self-portraits are a very rare topic in my work and somehow do collide with my actually very reclusive and more (artistic) research based approach. Nevertheless, in an »about« section self-portraits make sense. Furthermore, the Selbstbildnis from 1992 holds a seminal position regarding particularly the unfolding of the motif »portraiture«, that turned out to be a central, specific aspect of my investigations.
FIGURES IN MOVEMENT
de motu animalium – Über die Bewegung von Lebewesen (Aristoteles)
Why do we move? How do we move? – these are imaginable introductory questions as first steps towards an experience of the work of Nicolas Constantin. Movement (Bewegung) and observation of movement (Beobachtung von Bewegung) regarding an understanding of human action as kind of recurrent motifs, exemplarily exemplified through the interactive audio-visual composition Variations IX.
One crucial aspect of Nicolas Constantin's approach regarding an investigation in (human) movement is founded in the assumption that for an understanding and appreciation of human action it is not enough to ask for reasons, but that it is furthermore necessary to look carefully at the entanglement between reason based action (descriptions and explanations) and (an analysis of) the quality of bodily movement, bodily knowledge and the concrete individual performances regarding an interaction with objects, concepts, media, environment and other persons.
The core motif of the figures in movement refers on the one hand to movements of persons and objects, on the other hand to movements on a conceptual level.
For a most recent work in progress investigating the motif of »figures in movement«, while particularly exemplifying structures correlated to the origins of my approach in the composition of polyphonic music, see ball room, 2017.
Simultaneously to the motif of the »figures in movement«, the motif of portraiture did evolve more and more. In the beginning quite subliminal, after »Variations IX« quite obviously. For the first seminal appearance of the portraiture motif see Selbstbildnis, Paris 1992.
Motifs unfolding – like a fugue
Why do we move? aims at reasons, concepts, words. How do we move? aims at visual and bodily understanding, generally: non-verbal forms of understanding. Particularly the series two figures approaches an entanglement of these two realms of understanding. Quite rigorously examined regarding the formal structure in watch, in girl's game through a blending of philosophical and sensual aspects and more poetically and sensually subversive in stroke. In any case, the initial paths of investigation refuse conceptual reductionism as the motifs unfold an open space for changing constellations of consideration, like a fugue.
Composition matters – »fostered alike by beauty and by fear«
Beyond imaginable guiding themes and perspectives, the works always aim at polyphonic structures and ambiguity, like musical compositions. Composition unfolds entangled structures and changing interconnections. Regarding content exercized radically in the series atlas particularly in the random 9 channel version. Composition matters, no matter if the work is based deliberately on low-res material like in atlas or contains sophisticated technology like Variations IX.
However, compositional and conceptual clarity is just the inviting rabbit-hole for a poetical journey towards arcane and increasingly ambiguos wonderlands – »fostered alike by beauty and by fear« (wordsworth motto for the series separate assignments: braid, re- move make-up, shape).
The work of Nicolas Constantin is based on the approach of composition – grounded on an education in classical guitar and particularly on the early compositions for classical guitar.
Various
In the »various« section I would like to provide some more specific background insights – deliberately beyond officially available biographical informations – particularly about issues related to my investigations in movement.
Investigations in movement – dance encounters
I have been always attracted to dance regarding my investigations in human movement. But I had been most of the time a bit disappointed by the performances I did see, because a great part did not work for me for being too mincing or through comparable constraints. First time I had been really thrilled had been watching Trisha Brown's work at documenta 12, 2007. Second amazing time had been through experiencing Louise Lecavalier's »So Blue«, 2014. I did have the great joy to see this work live and after the performance I had some precious, unforgetable moments with her (see »close encounter« below). Related to this personal encounters is particularly my field trip with my students to move – choreographing you and recently through a book on the work of Simone Forti (Forti, Simone 2014: Thinking with the Body). Particularly her thoughts on Muybridge have been a great inspiration regarding the series separate assignments (braid, re-move make-up, shape), as I have been engaged in studying the work of Muybridge since my early fascination for Francis Bacon.
My first immensely influential encounter with dance as an inspiration has been at documenta 12, experiencing Trisha Brown's accumulation and floor of the forest:
Three different works with decreasing intensities of movement. Regarding Poseneske's work movement is only conceptually present.
Trisha Brown's Accumulation (first part with music, second part without), Trisha Brown's Forest of the Floor, combined with Charlotte Posenenske's Vierkantrohre.
Another very insightful experience has been the field trip with my students to the show move – choreographing you – art and dance since the 1960s, at »Haus der Kunst«, Munich. The precious possibility to interact with works from Bruce Nauman, Simone Forti, William Forsythe and Trisha Brown has been a seminal moment for my work development towards a more performance based approach. Below: Nicolas Constantin performing Trisha Brown's »The Stream« (1970 / 2011):
Another very important experience for the development of my work approach, particularly for the evolvement of the core motif of »figures in movement«, has been my education in free and formal calligraphy. Some remarks on the relationship between my calligraphical investigations and my other work here: triptych / calligraphy. See also below some remarks regarding the relationship between my Aikido practice and calligraphy.
Close encounter – dance, budo, art – moving moments with Louise Lecavalier
I had been doing some research for a bachelor supervision of a student of mine. The amazing topic of my student has been: Bewegungsformen als Lebensweisen, approaching a comparison of skateboarding, dance and budo. My student asked for my supervision – besides other aspects – because of my Aikido experiences. At that time I saw a post from a friend about Louise Lecavalier's So Blue, and a beautiful coincidence made it possible to see this piece two weeks later. A had never been more fascinated by a dance performance. After the performance, Louise Lecavalier walked by quite a distance away from me, already on her way to the hotel, and her »guide« gave me a sign, not to »disturb« her. Beautifully enough, she did see this »rejection«, and she came to me in a second. We talked so amazingly about movement, budo, about life, standing close together. She had been so incredibly gentle and lovely, even by searching for a nice place for our picture. Seminal moments. I did dream so much about working together with dancers one day. A few months after this encounter, the possibility to participate at a group show came up, and a year later, Variations IX became reality.
Investigations in movement – Iwama Ryu Aikido / Budo
Iwama Ryu Aikido / Budo and Calligraphy
Aikido / Budo is an eminently important practice for me – an amazing investigation in movement and interaction.
I do practice Aikido since 1999 / since 2012 Iwama Ryu. Teaching the »Aiki-Minis« (3-6 years) since 2014.
Closely linked to my Aikido practice is my education in formal and free calligraphy. Through my calligraphical practice, movement did enter my images in a literally embodied way. For insights on this seminal aspect of my work development, see (link here again) some considerations regarding particularly my three strokes triptych from 1999.
Vita
Aktuelles:
2022
Nicolas Constantin Romanacci: Medien der Erkenntnis - Experimentalsysteme in Wissenschaft und Kunst
Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doktor der Philosophie in der Philosophischen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. Doktorvater: Prof. Klaus Sachs-Hombach
Disputatio: Kunst und Öffentlichkeit
Promotionsverfahren zum 11.02.2022 erfolgreich abgeschlossen.
Beurkundung zum Doktor der Philosophie: 12.07.2022
Publikation: Universitätsbibliothek der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 12.07.2022:
Romanacci: Medien der Erkenntnis
2022
Lehrauftrag Research Methods and Project
Hochschule Neu-Ulm, Studiengang Game-Produktion und Management
Vita
Leitung der Reihe Philosophie und Kunst im H2 – Zentrum für Gegenwartskunst, Augsburg, seit 2015.
Philosophie Studium an der LMU München.
Schreinerlehre, Kaltenberg 1995-1998, Gesellenprüfung. Gesellenstück: Schreib- und Arbeitstisch, Ahorn.
Studium Gestaltung an der Akademie für Gestaltung im Handwerk, München. Gestalter im Handwerk 1999.
Abschlussarbeit: Standleuchten N.R. 1/2.
1999 Kompositionen für Gitarre.
2005 Diplom Kommunikationsdesign. Studium Kommunikationsdesign an der Hochschule Augsburg, Fakultät für Gestaltung (2000-2005), inklusive Auslandsstudium an der ISIA Urbino, Italien (2003-2004). Schwerpunkt an der Akademie für Gestaltung im Handwerk und an der Fakultät Gestaltung insbesondere formale und freie Kalligraphie bei Prof. Heitmann. Anmerkungen zu Zusammenhängen zwischen der Ausbildung in Kalligraphie und anderen Arbeiten hier: triptych / calligraphy). Diplomarbeit: »Polyphonie und Gestaltung« , 2005 (Kompositionen für Gitarre, fotografische Bilder, philosophischer Begleittext). Auf Grundlage u.a. der Diplomarbeit Stipendium an der Donau-Universität Krems in Rahmen des Master Studiengangs »Bildwissenschaft« (Schwerpunkte Media Art Histories und Philosophie), siehe unten.
6 Jahre Art Direktion in München, Agentur »ID«, Produktionsleitung in enger Zusammenarbeit insbesondere mit Druckereien und Buchbindern. 2004-2010, parallel berufsbegleitend Master of Arts Bildwissenschaft. Filmautor für »quer« (BR) im Rahmen einer Hospitanz.
2010 Master of Arts in Bildwissenschaft (Schwerpunkte Philosophie und Medienkunst), Donau-Universität Krems. Master Thesis: Pictorial Ambiguity.
Veröffentlichungen und Vorträge in den Bereichen »Philosophie und Kunst«, etwa: Experimentieren als Forschung in Wissenschaft und Kunst (2015), Experimentieren, Fremderfahrung, Selbstrelativierung popup:yes (2016), oder Der Begriff »Sehendes Sehen« bei Max Imdahl, Eintrag im Glossar der Bildphilosophie.
2010-2017 Lehraufträge in freie Gestaltung, Medientheorie, Bildwissenschaft, u.a., Hochschule Augsburg, Fakultät für Gestaltung, Studiengänge Kommunikationsdesign und Interaktive Medien. Neben der Leitung von Kursen wie Experimentieren als Lebensform (Modul »Freie Gestaltung«) auch Begleitung von Bachelorarbeiten als Erst- und Zweitprüfer, siehe beispielsweise.: Bewegungsformen als Lebensweisen.
Kunstvermittlung (»tim« Augsburg« und »H2 – Zentrum für Gegenwartskunst, Augsburg), seit 2015.
2018
Berufung auf Dozententätigkeit in München (Medientheorie). Macromedia Akademie / Hochschule. Bachelor Absolventen Kommunikationsdesign.
Einladung zu Vortrag an der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vortragstitel: »Visuelles Wissen und Mustergebrauch als nicht-sprachliche Verstehensformen«, siehe: PhD Vorstudien.
2019
Multimodalität und Medienkunst Vortrag auf Tagung: Modalitäten des Bildes: Der Multimodalitätsbegriff aus bildwissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Bewegtbilder 2019. Tagung der Gesellschaft fur interdisziplinäre Bildwissenschaft und der Forschungsgruppe Bewegtbildwissenschaft Kiel / Münster vom 9.-11. Mai 2019 in Kiel. siehe: PhD Vorstudien, Bewegtbilder 2019.
Wahl in den wissenschaftlichen Beirat der Gesellschaft für interdisziplinäre Bildwissenschaft – GiB, Bereich Artistic Research (davor Beirat für den Bereich »Kommunikationsdesign«, seit Gründung der GiB 2009).
Zu Artistic Research siehe den kritischen und programmatischen Aufsatz:
Romanacci, Nicolas Constantin (2015):
Experimentieren als Forschung in Wissenschaft und Kunst –
Eine philosophische Untersuchung in Bezugnahme auf symbol- und erkenntnistheoretische Arbeiten von Nelson Goodman und Arno Ros.
in:
Jürgens, Anna-Sophie; Tesche, Tassilo (2015):
LaborARTorium – Forschung im Denkraum zwischen Wissenschaft und Kunst.
Eine Methodenreflexion.
Bielefeld, [transcript], S. 73-89
Gedichte – Gesamtausgabe (2000-2019)
Buch Veröffentlichung in Planung. Buchdruck auf Heidelberger Tiegel, Fadenbindung, Faksimiles ausgewählter Typoskripte, voraussichtlich Begleitband. Enthaltene Gedicht-Bände:
- Wiedergang (2019)
- Nebenwort Wendung (2019)
- Zeichen und Wunder (2018)
- Gegenpart (2014)
- freier Fall (2003)
Projektseite folgt.
works in progress:
marks
wall-triptychs
ball room
liebenswert
Kompositionen für Gitarre – Werkserie 2019. Erneute und langfristige Konzentration auf die kompositorischen Praxis, Fokus dabei insbesondere wieder auf Instrumentalstücke, 20 Jahre nach den Aufnahmen der Praeludien und Ricercare und anderer Kompositionen.
2021
Composition – colaborative commission – Klangforschung
Major research commission – Klangforschung & Composition – for various, interrelated colaborative Soundinstallations. Initially related to TU-Munich, faculties Robotic and AI / Real Time Systems. The development of the Klangkonzept is based from my part on the work with my Modular System, see experimental music.
Interview (german): Figuren in Bewegung – Philosophie und Kunst, in: schauinsblau, Magazine for Literature, Art and Science
Publication: Nicolas, Constantin Romanacci (2021): Klangraum – Bildinteraktion. In: Lars C. Grabbe, Patrick Rupert-Kruse, Norbert M. Schmitz (Hg.): Bildmodi, Der Multimodalitätsbegriff aus bildwissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Marburg: Büchner
Multimodalität und Medienkunst aus philosophischer und musiktheoretischer Perspektive. Betrachtungen zu Bruce Nauman im Ausgang von Nelson Goodmans Symboltheorie und einer Tropen-Typologie minimalistischer Musik.
Interview with Adam Audio, upcoming. I do use their T7V monitors and T10S subwoofer for the work with my Modular System.
Praktiziert und lehrt (Kindertraining 3-6 / 7-11 Jahre) Dento Iwama Ryū Aikidō. Freischaffender Künstler. Verheiratet mit Stefanie Romanacci, Söhne J. Constantin und L. Elia.
2022
Nicolas Constantin Romanacci: Medien der Erkenntnis – Experimentalsysteme in Wissenschaft und Kunst
Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doktor der Philosophie in der Philosophischen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. Doktorvater: Prof. Klaus Sachs-Hombach
Disputatio: Kunst und Öffentlichkeit
Promotionsverfahren zum 11.02.2022 erfolgreich abgeschlossen.
Publikationsverfahren via Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen eingeleitet.
Mit Abschluss des Publikationsverfahrens Titel: Doktor der Philosophie.
