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Mees Siderius describes himself as a versatile creator: anything from organising festivals to composing music for a theatre performance makes him happy. What he loves most is cooperating with others, such as in his multidisciplinary creator’s ensemble BUI (which stands for ‘Foundation for Promoting Improvisation in Utrecht). He started drumming when he was seven, growing up in a musical family where he was surrounded by music all the time. Mees has held on to his drumsticks ever since. He also finished his bachelor’s course Jazz & Pop at HKU, while occasionally flirting with the Musician 3.0 course.
Staging
Mees: ‘In Jazz, you are working on the technical aspect, to relate yourself to the outer jazz world, focused on learning the craft. Musician 3.0 is much more about telling the story that lives inside you, and the means that you must acquire to express that story. In other words: it’s much more about the conceptual perspective.
While studying Jazz & Pop, I chose to play with the students of Musician 3.0 a lot. I really took pleasure in that. After my studies, I became percussionist for multiple bands, while also teaching primary school children. However, I noticed I was also very interested in thinking about the staging of a concert and performance; about how music and visuals should complement each other.
During the covid pandemic, Mees noticed a desire to get more ownership of the projects he was working on. And thus he decided to develop himself more as a creator. ‘The Master of Music was a logical next step for me: I sensed that the course allowed you to largely shape your own programme, and that was exactly what I was looking for. I am fascinated by audio research, yet also by motion theatre and dance. I wasn’t practicing them yet, however, so I wanted to see whether I could incorporate those fascinations in my Master.’
Distance
In the first year, Mees found ample opportunity to investigate these passions. ‘I discovered that the creative process is what interests me most. During the module Musical Creative Processes, I learned what it’s like to be busy with the creative process week after week. It also lets you actively work with your fellow students, creating together and sharing mutual feedback. The first year also taught me to distance myself as a creator from my own creations. Non-Attached Composition, is what they call it. I never heard about that before. It creates space in the creative process, instead of keeping you locked in. You are more investigative as you search for a way to get from idea towards reality. This has truly become a magical process for me. Especially when it occurs at group level: exploring, experiencing, and exchanging together is incredibly valuable.’
The Roll
During my master’s course, I developed a sort of toolbox of sounds and instruments, with elements that allow me to create an improvised performance at any time. I also wanted to investigate with this toolbox whether it’s possible to play an eternal note, or an eternal repetition of sounds. My aim, I guess, is to see if it’s possible to stay within a comfortable moment forever – like a kind of perpetuum mobile – and get lost in the sound.’
This attempt led Mees to create The Roll: a performance of drum rolls with a length of 20 to 40 minutes. This long length adds a whole new meaning to percussion, which becomes a story in itself, causing the audience to lose all sense of time. Mees: ‘Things that I thought to be impossible in the past, suddenly felt achievable. Playing with the idea of infinity is no longer just toying around, but actually realising it. In the context of a creators’ community, by working together with others, you get towards more insights than through working alone. The Master of Music had a lot to offer me in this respect. The feedback processes from the Master are also applicable to BUI. By sharing your creations, you reinforce each other. That’s why I think it’s valuable to keep developing myself on places such as the cultural breeding ground De Onderbuik (‘The Underbelly’). I might be a percussionist, but I want to do much more with improvisational art. To just play somewhere on the street, for example, and be the unexpected highlight of the day for someone passing by.’
Click here to see Mees’ Instagram account.
