Musiscoop

Musiscope is an initiative set up by visual artist Ida Lohman (1961-2007). Since 1997, she has been engaged in contemporary, experimental magic lantern performances.Musiscope is visual music theatre on a back to basics manner. With the help of a small and simple piece of cardboard, Musiscope creates an entire world on a gigantic projection screen. On the stage, musicians and players find themselves accompanied by stands with magic lanterns. A magic lantern is a large primal projector, dating from before the technologies of film and photography. Now, in the 21st century, Musiscope uses these projectors to bring forward contemporary images that move to live music, which has been composed for Musiscope especially. Colourful triangles flourish, a puppet dances a tragic waltz or an elephant trumpets with its trunk. Materials such as cardboard, beads and sand form the basis of new tricks and inventions. Within the minuscule theatre, the magic lantern players bring to life the images inside the lantern. Musiscope considers magic lanterns ‘instruments of imagery’, equal to musical instruments in their ability to improvise.