Bendik Giske – Not Yet

Bendik Giske is an artist and saxophonist whose practice frequently blurs the boundaries between performance, installation and music. Over two solo albums for Smalltown Supersound – 2019’s Surrender and 2021’s Cracks – Giske has pushed his instrument and body to the limit through circular breathing techniques that stretch and shape his tender compositions. In March 2021, Giske was commissioned by Oslo’s MUNCH Museet to create a new live work, Not Yet. Created in collaboration with sound artist Bridget Ferrill and featuring lighting and bespoke scenography by Theresa Baumgartner, Not Yet is a performance that explores ideas of queer time and ecstasy, drawing inspiration from the first passage of José Esteban Muñoz’s book Cruising Utopia, which references queerness as something glimpsed on the horizon that belongs to everyone. In this film, directed and produced by Fact’s Pedro S. Küster and featuring exclusive footage from the live performance of Not Yet, Giske discusses the many innovative techniques that go into creating his work, from circular breathing to using microphones mounted on the instrument to create different tonal qualities. Giske also discusses the inspiration behind Not Yet and the idea of ‘stepping out of the binary’ to create a unique tonal and spatial experience, one that communicates with both the audience and the performance environment. Credits: Not Yet Written and performed by Bendik Giske Film directed and produced by Pedro S. Küster Sound by Bridget Ferrill Light and stage by Theresa Baumgartner Costume by Nicola Walker Hair and make-up by Akischa Budd Filmed by Alice Sephton Ingrid Styrkestad Maja Wilhite Hannisdal Pedro S. Küster Sound mixed by Bridget Ferrill Not Yet was commissioned by MUNCH for MUNCH Live Performance produced by Erica Berthelsen and Anette Engkvist Additional production by Sofi B. Ringstad MUNCH Team Artistic Director: Ingrid Moe Senior Curator: Tominga O’Donnell Project Manager: Jonas Vebner Technical Manager: Lasse Baklien Production Manager: Kaja Langø Aasmoe Not Yet was supported by the Norwegian Cultural Council, the Fund for Performing Artists, the Fund for Sound and Vision and the City of Oslo.