We wish you a good start to the new year and a good amount of harmony – all under the motto “Optimism is duty” (a quote from H. Arendt) and ‘one must rejoice in all small progress’. We can only hope that we humans all take the many small steps towards a more desirable, healthier, kinder and above all more peaceful future….
…a future in which we live in harmony with and for each other. A pan (steel- or hand-) is perhaps not such a bad symbol for this…. the many sounds that are worked into convex or concave sheet metal can, in short, hate or love each other and these realities are only ‘millimeters’ apart.
Pans are known to have many ‘conversations with themselves’…. I don’t just mean with the ‘self’ they are played by (the musician) but also within themselves…- within all the notes talk to each other… the only question is: is it harmonious or does one note, for example, shout at all the others? When tuning with a hammer, endless patience is required to achieve a harmonious coexistence. Everyone has to try again and again – to see what is needed where and what you can do and how you can help. Like Whoopie Goldberg in the classic film “Sister Act”, for example, when she gets the nuns in the choir to sing and this power ultimately transforms the entire neighborhood.
The last year began for the PAN LAB with challenges and transformations on all levels – pain, illness, crises, disc surgery, corona, depression, and incomprehensible sadness over the death of our dear friend and neighbor (Martin Grabner, RIP) – who, as a gifted hobbyist and engineer, was also creatively active for the PAN LAB. The Handpan copyright dispute also took on new dimensions and the situation is still unclear (the minutes of the proceedings in Bern have unfortunately not yet been made available to the public). For the PAN LAB, 2023 was truly the most difficult year since its foundation in 2017.
All the better were the very few instruments and prototypes that were created here under the highest concentration (some with very striking new designs!) There were only a few meetings and jams that took place in 2023 – but they were probably very important rays of hope for everyone involved. Ultimately, the important thing is that the PAN LAB has survived and is still here – and will continue! There are so many new visions, but when can they be realized? PAN LAB tuner Birgit is convalescing – which means you can’t expect her to do everything at once. The focus is clearly on service for existing and new customers (and not on answering the many tuning service inquiries from people who have, for example, ordered something online without trying it out). The energy in the PAN LAB is limited – just like the number of notes on such an instrument is limited…. but that’s not necessarily a bad thing… because this limitation also allows you to unleash unexpected potential maybe.
In any case, we really wish we could have been more politically active …. and contributed more to helping the many people in need and refugees. In 2024, it is a declared goal to raise more donations again.
As the first contribution in the new year, here is an appeal for donations for the special heart projects that we want to continue to support in the future:
Tune In!
“The Caravan of Humanity” (PLEASE also read the donation transparency report there to get an idea of this great and multifaceted work!!!)
Global 2000: Chernobyl Children (we have been associated with this project for many years and are 100% convinced that every bit of help gets through!!! See also e.g.: here)
Ultimately, we humans will only survive these global crises together, partly because there are people in a functioning global civil society who can withstand a lot…. and still remain resilient and perhaps be able to support others. It really is a miracle. Or rather, it has a name: Solidarity.
Thank you for your attention
