STORY
A futuristic ritual, a transcendent experience for the Digital Age.
Lenka Morávková takes you on a multi-sensory journey with a one-of-a-kind glass sculpture, the Bohemian Cristal Instrument (après Cristal Baschet). The Czech sonic explorer processes the acoustic properties of the crystal along with her voice, to create ethereal immersive soundscapes and hypnotic ambient pulses. Following a TEDx talk in California, and the release of the debut EP UNICODE in June 2018, BCI’s unique ceremony with a full band and mesmerizing light show immerses you in a world where tradition and futurism become one.
Lenka hails from Northern Czech Republic, a region famous for its glass industry. She had already produced several striking new media installations based on the sound of local factories in the time of their deepest decline, before the conception of her Bohemian Cristal Instrument. Following Lenka’s original design, the glass sound sculpture is a unique version of the legendary Cristal Baschet instrument. With it, she introduces an entirely new sonic adventure, yet one still strongly connected to local tradition.
Lenka Morávková, who partly resides in Los Angeles, has a compelling background as an electronic producer (MY NAME IS ANN) and academic researcher (PhD program of Ethnomusicology and Digital Composition at UCR). With her Bohemian Cristal Instrument, she has already accomplished substantial international acclaim in less than two years. She has given a TEDx talk, performed at the prestigious The Broad Museum in Los Angeles alongside Grammy-nominated singer Bora Yoon, and a video shot in the blooming desert of California went viral, reaching more than 2 million views. In the summer of 2017, she headed out on her first European tour, including a one-off collaboration with William Close and The Earth Harp Collective (Guinness Book of Records, America Got Talent) as one of the headliners at Colours of Ostrava 2017, performing on the main stage for 5,000 people. BCI has performed at Eurosonic Noordeslag 2019 in Netherlands, the largest and the most prestigious European showcase festival and recently was shortlisted for SXSW 2020 and performed at Summit LA world leading event of inovators.
UNICODE EP and UNICODE TOUR
In June 2018, Lenka self-released a debut EP UNICODE in a worldwide digital distribution (iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Google Play, Deezer, ...). She is currently developing an interactive light show with holograms, lasers and projections for an upcoming tour in 2019. The project will be enhanced by a full band, including synthesizers and digital drums.
ABOUT BCI
In 2012, Lenka Morávková designed the first Czech Cristal Baschet (named thereafter the Bohemian Cristal Instrument) and assisted Spanish artist Martí Ruiz, of the Metalúdic Baschet Collective, in the construction of the instrument. She premiered it during a performance in October of that year, at the International Glass Symposium in Nový Bor, Czech Republic.
The Cristal Baschet was originally conceived and developed in 1952 by François and Bernard Baschet, two French brothers who built myriad experimental instruments and sound sculptures, which are now exhibited in galleries and private collections around the world. As it is possible to play this instrument at a high level of virtuosity, the Cristal Baschet has become the most successful of the instruments created by the Baschet Brothers.
ABOUT LENKA MORÁVKOVÁ
Lenka Morávková is a songwriter, sound artist, and electronic music producer from the Czech Republic, currently residing in Los Angeles, California.
Tiptoeing on the edge between the dance floor and conceptual art, her work is rooted in global and personal collapses, an aesthetic of glitches and deconstruction, and an application of academic theories to performance practices. As a cross-disciplinary artist, Lenka Morávková transgresses boundaries within music, visual art, performance, and new media, touring internationally with her music project My Name Is Ann as well as performing with the unique glass instrument Bohemian Cristal Instrument (après Baschet sculpture).
Her interactive sound installations and performances have been presented extensively throughout Europe, including the LEM festival in Barcelona, the Czech National Theatre in Prague, the International Glass Symposium, Colours of Ostrava and the Biennial Ostrava Days festivals in the Czech Republic, the Natures Festival in Ljubjana, and the CreArt festival.
More information:
www.mynameisann.com
http://cargocollective.com/lenkamoravkova
www.bohemiancristalinstrument.com