Studio session: Gavin Bryars & Obliquo Quartet
Residency | C.T.R. | ex-Convent of SS. Cosma & Damian

A 4-day residency brought Quartetto Obliquo and Gavin Bryars together at the Centro Teatrale di Ricerca della Giudecca, for an intensive period of work focused on Bryars’ compositions for strings.

The residency unfolded in the theatre hall, a space that, during this phase, coincided with some of Cosmogram’s studio applications. This convergence marked one of the very first tests of the room as a site for production: a place to listen closely, to rehearse, to refine form. The space revealed itself immediately as acoustically generous and deeply evocative, amplifying both the materiality of the strings and the quiet concentration of the working process.

Throughout the residency, the ensemble worked on the preparation of Gavin Bryars’ String Quartet No. 4, allowing the composition to take shape within the room itself.

This period of work also marked an important threshold for Cosmogram: an early experiment in how the space could support artistic production in a sustained, process-driven way. The intensity of the residency demonstrated the room’s capacity to host extended creative practices, foreshadowing the concerts that would follow in the subsequent months.

Shortly after the residency, String Quartet No. 4 was performed publicly during the days of Cinema Galleggiante, carrying with it the acoustic memory and concentration forged during these four days of shared work.