Tangle Eye: Worldbuilding with Mixtapes A Workshop by Arjuna Neuman
For a workshop taking place online on 31 May & Thursday 2 June from 18:00, Arjuna Neuman invites participants are invited to bring songs that build an argument, or even a new world, towards a collective mixtape that imagines the world as otherwise.
Overexposed Podcast with Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee featuring Devin Hentz
In the third episode of the Overexposed Podcast – a collaboration between Sonic Acts and Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee – artist in residence Devin Hentz about data thieves, trash and its role in the archive of history, and the death of clothes.
Open Call: Sonic Acts continues its OVEREXPOSED home-based residency programme
Sonic Acts is proud to announce the continuation of the OVEREXPOSED residency programme. With this renewed open call, we invite applications from artists and researchers working across the fields of environmental humanities.
Angeliki Diakrousi and Yara Said selected for Underexposed
Underexposed is an online mentorship and training programme – part of a Sonic Acts talent development initiative – that focuses on supporting artists at the beginning of their career. Motivated by the number of exciting projects from young local artists, shown by many of the applications to our recent OVEREXPOSED residency call, Underexposed includes a mentorship period in which artists work directly with members of the Sonic Acts curatorial team, providing an opportunity to get feedback on the development of artistic projects.
Save the Date: Sonic Acts Academy
From 26 to 28 February 2016, Sonic Acts hosts a new research-oriented programme at the intersection of art, music and science at several locations in Amsterdam. Over the course of three days, Sonic Acts Academy will invite artists, theorists, and scientists to expand on their research through lectures, concerts, film programmes, work presentations, masterclasses and workshops.
Dark Ecology Critical Writing Academy
On 9 and 10 October 2015, Dark Ecology and Fridaymilk will organise a two-day Critical Writing Academy, in Murmansk, Russia. This workshop is aimed at emerging and mid-career writers, critics, bloggers, theorists and journalists in arts and culture from the Barents Region
Vertical Cinema at Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)
Vertical Cinema is in Melbourne for its Australian premiere at Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). A special feature within the MIFF film programme, Vertical Cinema will be screened twice at Deakin Edge theatre in Melbourne on 14 August.
The Geologic Imagination: Lectures, Interviews and Recordings
RESEARCH SERIES #19 To get you in the mood for the upcoming Dark Ecology Journey, Research Series #19 includes recorded lectures, excerpts of live performances, sound recordings and interviews made during the 2015 festival The Geologic Imagination. With contributors such as Timothy Morton, Jana Winderen, Espen Sommer Eide, BJ Nilsen and Karl Lemieux, Raviv Ganchrow, Ele Carpenter and Graham Harman.
Sonic Acts Commission Dolmen by Mario de Vega in Berlin
From 9 to 20 December 2015, Mario de Vega’s Dolmen will be presented by singuhr-projects at Meinblau Projektraum in Berlin. This installation was commissioned by Sonic Acts in collaboration with donaufestival and was first presented in the context of The Geologic Imagination, the 2015 edition of the Sonic Acts Festival.
Sonic Acts & EYE on Art: Weather Report
Following the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, on 15 December Sonic Acts and EYE on Art will host a Dark Ecology inspired evening on climate change. The programme explores the subject from the perspective of Dark Ecology. Included are works from EYE’s collection as well as contributions by artists who are part of the 2015 Dark Ecology Journey.
Dark Ecology Journey: First Journey Report
We are back home from a successful second Dark Ecology Journey. Over the course of five days, we travelled with a group of more than 50 artists, researchers, curators, writers and organisers to Kirkenes in Northern Norway from where we took a bus to Murmansk in Russia, to Zapolyarny and Nikel, and back to Kirkenes.
Progress Bar in Amsterdam!
We’re thrilled to announce that Sonic Acts, Viral Radio and Lighthouse will present a special season of Progress Bars in Amsterdam. Starting with the first event on 16 January 2016, Progress Bar is a night for cutting edge thinking and dancing that presents a lively mix of talks, screenings, performances and a club in a single night.
Looking back on first edition Sonic Acts Academy
The first edition of Sonic Acts Academy has ended. We look back proudly on an opening night with performances at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, five workshops and two days of presentations celebrating today’s artistic practices at de Brakke Grond, and an invigorating line-up at Paradiso that had visitors dancing into the early hours.
Sonic Acts Academy publication now for sale
In context of the Sonic Acts Academy, Sonic Acts published a 64-page ’zine’, which contains a beautifully designed and printed collection of short essays, manifestos, statements and visual contributions that provide invaluable insights into the exploration conducted and during the Academy.
Nikel and Nikel Materiality
RESEARCH SERIES #25 Nikel is a small Russian mining city near the border with Norway. It was founded in the 1930s after enormous quantities of nickel were found nearby. At the time the area was Finnish. An infrastructure for mining the nickel was built in the 1930s with help from Canadian companies.
Looking back on Progress Bar in Amsterdam: More than Music
Looking back on the first four editions of Progress Bar Amsterdam which took place at Paradiso Noord / Tolhuistuin between January and June of this year, the event series' resident interviewer Jo Kali recounts her experiences and positions these nights, which are characterised by the combination of talks and performances, within the contemporary (cultural) landscape.
What Is Dark Ecology?
RESEARCH SERIES #26 In this essay, which draws on his book Dark Ecology, For a Logic of Coexistence, Timothy Morton — who originally coined the term dark ecology — explains what dark ecology is. He also argues how agrilogistics underpins our ecological crisis and our view of the world.
UNFOLD #3: Reinterpreting the digital
On 1 December, the third public event within the framework of UNFOLD continues with the research line mediation by reinterpretation. The evening will start with the workshop 'Sensory Augmentation and Obstruction', organised by Joost Rekveld and LIMA together with Sonic Acts.
'Sensing the Shipyard' at Damen Shiprepair
Sonic Acts is currently working together with several educational institutes in the Netherlands and abroad. As part of the upcoming Sonic Acts Academy 2018, we are collaborating with the ArtScience Interfaculty in The Hague on Sensing the Shipyard: A Sensorial Journey.
Sign up for workshops, seminars and guided tours at Sonic Acts Festival 2019
Sonic Acts is pleased to announce a special educational programme for Sonic Acts Festival 2019, with workshops led by artists and theorists including Christina Kubisch and Arie Altena, as well as seminars and guided exhibition tours.
AV impressions of Sonic Acts Academy 2020 now online
Complete photo reports of the Academy will be published in the coming week, but you can already browse through a selection of first impressions on our social channels. Festival aftermovies and videos of the entire conference programme will also be online soon.
MÆKUR's CONDITIONS : 1218-0719 now available as limited edition vinyl
Released as part of Sonic Acts Academy 2020 and now available for digital download and as limited-edition vinyl, CONDITIONS : 1218 – 0719 is the first release by MÆKUR, the collaborative project of Maiа Urstad, Eva Rowson and Anton Kats.
Thank you for contributing to an unforgettable Academy
Sonic Acts Academy 2020 is a wrap! As always, we are extremely grateful to everyone involved in making this year’s edition another great success. Thankfully, our incredible team of photographers and videographers were on hand to capture every moment.
Watch the 2020 conference talks and performances
In light of the difficult circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working on ways to move future activities online. In the meantime, videos of the Sonic Acts Academy 2020 conference and performances can be watched over the weeks and months ahead.
Listen to new Ràdio Web MACBA and Sonic Acts podcast with composer Jennifer Walshe
In a new podcast produced in collaboration with Sonic Acts, Ràdio Web MACBA talks to Jennifer Walshe about writing, annotating, teaching, collecting, eavesdropping, performing, faking, and a touch of machine learning.
Read online: Sensititve States of Perception with Kali Malone
From Colorado to Stockholm and from sound technician to organ tuner: Kali Malone highlights artistic journeys, both physically and intellectually and what it means to her to combine her musical experience in vocal music with theoretical practices.
Ecoes – an independent magazine about art in the age of pollution
Ecoes is a new periodic magazine from Sonic Acts about art in the age of pollution. The magazine features a number of artists and thinkers that propose alternatives to the anthropocentric view that sees Earth and the non-human world as an endless resource.
Artists in residence MELT look at different approaches to time
MELT (Loren Britton & Isabel Paehr) are arts-design researchers who work together on games, technology and critical pedagogy. During their 'residency time', MELT look at climate change and pollution in relation to different approaches to time.
Experience the interactive audio walk Plastic Hypersea by Sissel Marie Tonn
Plastic Hypersea is an interactive, site-specific work by artist Sissel Marie Tonn that invites the listener to contemplate a more expanded sense of self. The work can be experienced at the NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam from the end of April.
Open Call: Underexposed – Mentorship Programme for Young Artists
Sonic Acts invites young artists to apply for Underexposed, an online mentorship and training programme. The programme is part of a Sonic Acts talent development initiative focussed on supporting artists at the beginning of their career.
Sonic Acts collaborates with Ràdio Web MACBA on new podcast with Terike Haapoja
In a new podcast on Ràdio Web MACBA co-produced by Sonic Acts, Finnish artist Terike Haapoja invites us to imagine a hybrid, expansive, empathetic 'we', with room for ambiguity and difference and for interspecies political understanding.
Free PDF download of the Academy 2020 Magazine
The impulse to listen, talk and learn with one another now hinges on the need to stay at home, and many of us have more time than ever to read. For that reason, we’re giving away a free digital edition of our latest publication, the Academy 2020 Magazine.
GIL, Know V.A., Zaïre Krieger and more confirmed for Progress Bar on 20 March
After Sonic Acts Academy 2020, a new edition of Progress Bar takes place at OT301 on Friday 20 March, with performances, DJ sets, films and presentations by artists and speakers including Chooc Ly, GIL, Ifeoluwa, Know V.A., pía ío luuuz, Yantan Ministry and Zaïre Krieger.
Sonic Acts podcast with Speaker Music (DeForrest Brown Jr.) in collaboration with Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee
Sonic Acts and Ja Ja Ja Née Née Née are collaborating on a series of podcasts for the upcoming Sonic Acts Academy 2020. In the third episode, Speaker Music (DeForrest Brown, Jr.) speaks about the origins of techno and (un)available historical nostalgia.
Programme announced! Rosa Pistola, No Bra, Lone Taxidermist, SHYBOI and lots more confirmed for Sonic Acts Academy 2020
The Sonic Acts Academy 2020 programme is now online, with a new wave of artists and speakers announced for a packed three days of live, immersive, expanded and charged experiences, and vital critical perspectives.
Apply for Potential Wor(l)ds workshop with Anna Bunting-Branch and Aliyah Hussain
Potential Wor(l)ds is a collaborative project between artists Anna Bunting-Branch and Aliyah Hussain, drawing on shared interests in feminist science fiction, embodied processes of making, and different ways of worldbuilding.
Sonic Acts podcast with Lukáš Likavčan in collaboration with Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee
Sonic Acts and Ja Ja Ja Née Née Née are collaborating on a series of podcasts for the upcoming Sonic Acts Academy. In the second episode, Lukáš Likavčan and Leonardo Dellanoce discuss how the future influences the present.
Apply for the Creative Spatial Design workshop with Heleen Blanken and Karl Klomp
The workshop Creative Spatial Design will be an introduction to the artistic practice of conceptual stage design, led by spatial media artists Heleen Blanken and Karl Klomp. It focuses on the basic artistic and technical skills necessary for developing stage scenography for live performances.
More artists, speakers and commissioned works announced for Sonic Acts Academy 2020
Sonic Acts is excited to now reveal the second wave of artists, thinkers and commissioned works for Sonic Acts Academy 2020, taking place in Amsterdam from 21 to 23 February 2020 at Paradiso, De Brakke Grond, Stedelijk Museum and OT301.
Sonic Acts and Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee podcast: Sadaf speaks to Ivan Cheng
Sonic Acts and Ja Ja Ja Née Née Née are collaborating on a series of podcasts for the upcoming Sonic Acts Academy. In the first episode, Sadaf speaks to Ivan Cheng and discusses the processes of making music, her work and the inspiration behind it all.
Homage to Dick Raaijmakers at ICMC
After thirty years, the internationally renowned conference on computer music ICMC (International Computer Music Conference) is returning to the Netherlands. On Tuesday September 13 ICMC invites Thomas Ankersmit & Tarik Barri for a special performance of 'Homage to Dick Raaijmakers' and 'Versum' at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht.
Dark Ecology Programme Update - Commissioned works
The third edition of the art, research and commissioning project Dark Ecology will take place between 8 and 12 June 2016 in the border zone between Norway and Russia, with events scheduled in the Pasvik Valley and Kirkenes (NO) as well as in the surroundings of Nikel (RU). A group of more than 50 artists, researchers, curators, writers and organisers, will travel from Northern Norway to North West Russia.
Interview with Mark Williams on the geological record
RESEARCH SERIES #18 Sonic Acts was very happy to welcome Mark Williams to the 2015 festival ‘The Geologcic Imagination’. After his lecture on the fundamental changes in the earth systems, Williams talked to Sonic Acts' Liesbeth Koot and Menno Grootveld.
Interview with Morton Subotnick: The computer as a performer-composer-conductor tool
RESEARCH SERIES #22 In October 2013 Morton Subotnick performed Silver Apples of the Moon, with visuals by Lillevan at Kontraste Festival in Krems (Austria). After the concert Arie Altena sat down with him to discuss his particular approach to electronic music.
Otto Piene's The Proliferation of the Sun at Stedelijk
After the impressive performance of The Proliferation of The Sun (1967) by ZERO artist Otto Piene during the Sonic Acts Festival 2015, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Sonic Acts present the performance again in honour of the opening of the exhibition ZERO: Let Us Explore The Stars on Friday 3 July.
Interview with Don Foresta
RESEARCH SERIES #14 In June 2014 Sonic Acts invited research artist Don Foresta to give two presentations in the Netherlands. Before his lecture presentation at STEIM in Amsterdam, Arie Altena sat down with him to talk about his experiences, working with Nam June Paik, Woody and Steina Vasulka, and other pioneers of video art, and his involvement in the first experiments with network art.