I SAW THE WORLD COLLAPSE AND IT WAS ONLY A WORD

SUNDAY, AUG 29, 5 PM

In 'I saw the world collapse and it was only a word', published on the occasion of his concert in December 2019 at Albertinum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Hassan Khan articulates the communal yet individualized feelings of sadness and trouble before they coalesce into larger structures and institutions through a libretto for five vocalists, showing us the fleeting moments of the world as it is collapsing rather than only the dust of its collapse. The work is characterized by layered fragments that gesture toward a tonality and unity that nearly coalesce, but that dissipate as soon as they emerge. The collapsing word could be anything: the death of a family member; a defeated revolution; a heartbreak. It means something different from one place, one individual, to the next while still existing so broadly that it defines a more communal experience felt across the globe. A collapse from what? Rather than a doomsday message, it intimates that perhaps the world isn’t really collapsing at all. Instead, Khan poses collapse as an ever-present underlying condition, challenging much contemporary intellectualizing that positions the current moment as somehow peculiar or extraordinary.

'I saw the world collapse and it was only a word' brings together the graphic score of the composition, an essay by musicologist Darci Sprengel, and a conversation between Khan and curator Kathleen Reinhardt into an immaculately designed format based on the artist's music work-book. Edited by Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Kathleen Reinhardt, and Hilke Wagner.

Khan will use audio excerpts from the piece to speak about how composing a work for five vocalists and a cell phone on a virtual microtonal keyboard is one way of embracing the cold heart of culture. The evening will also include a brief conversation between artist and curator about the whole project, as well as comments from designer Engy Aly (joining us on zoom from Cairo) on the design process and visual language of the publication. There will be a Q&A with the audience and refreshments (up to a limit!) will be provided.

Hassan Khan is an artist, musician and writer.

Engy Aly is a Cairo-based graphic designer who also sometimes teaches and organizes events related to design and visual culture.

Kathleen Reinhardt is a writer and the curator for contemporary art at the Albertinum Dresden.

Darci Sprengel is is a Junior Research Fellow in music at the University of Oxford. She completed her PhD in ethnomusicology from UCLA, and her work focuses on contemporary music in Egypt.

The book launch will be held outdoors in our lovely courtyard. The bar will be open. Please have a negative test or full vaccination. Please wear a mask when inside the bookshop.

Hopscotch Reading Room
Kurfürstenstraße 13-14
Haus B
10785 Berlin