Lofoten Sound Art Symposium

Contributors: Siri Austeen (NO) / Hanan Benammar (FR/DZ) / Christian Blom (NO) / Anna Ceeh (RU)/ DJ Sissyfus (NO) / Espen Sommer Eide (NO)/ Yngvild Færøy (NO) / Nathan Gray (AU) / Rosanna Gunnarsson (S) / Raviv Ganchrow (US/NL)/ Sten-Olof Hellström (S) / Søssa Jørgensen (NO) / Stefan Klaverdal (S) / Tine Surel Lange (NO) / Rita Leppiniemi (FI) / Andres Lõo (EE) / Elina Waage Mikalsen aka. Juicy Máihlái (Sápmi/NO) / Anders Dahl Monsen (NO) / Arne Skaug Olsen (NO) / Olga Palomäki (FI) / Phonophani (NO) / Alessandro Perini (IT) / Franz Pomassl (AT) / Maria Paz aka. Exotikdot (CO) / Juan Duarte Regino (MX) / Ann Rosén (S) / Jenny Gräf Sheppard (US) / Marloes van Son (NL) / Marko Timlin (FI) / Snorre Magnar Solberg (NO) / Timo Soppela (FI) / Elin Már Øyen Vister (NO) / Danni Zuvela (AU) / Makiko Yamamoto (JP)

The symposium was part of a larger international network focusing on sound art, Sound Disturbance, which was initiated by MUU, C-Y ContemporarY and Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter (NNKS) in 2016. Lofoten Sound Art Symposium was the third collection. Previous events have been Ääniä muualta - Nordic Soundscapes - Sounds from Elsewhere in Oulu organized by MUU and Sound Disturbance – Hearing the Visual initiated by C-Y ContemporarY in Malmö. As part of Lofoten Sound Art Symposium, two Norwegian partners have been invited: Lydgalleriet and nyMusikk Nordland. Lofoten Sound Art Symposium is curated by Svein Ingvoll Pedersen and Karolin Tampere at Nordnorsk kunstnersenter in dialogue with the Sound Disturbance network.

Read more about it on the Lofoten Sound Art Symposium website.

Background and partners

Lofoten Sound Art Symposium is part of the international network Sound Disturbance started by MUU, C-Y ContemporarY and the North Norwegian Art Centre (NNKS). Lofoten Sound Art Symposium is the third in a series of Nordic sound art events begun in 2016-2018. Past events in the series have been Ääniä muualta – Nordic Soundscapes – Sounds from Elsewhere taking place in Oulu organised by MUU and Sound Disturbance–Hearing the Visual initiated by C-Y ContemporarY in Malmö.

C-Y (ContemporarY) is an artist run interdisciplinary association for contemporary music and sound art in Malmö. Founded in 2007 it arranges music, art events and albums. C-Y curated the network meeting Hearing the Visual in Malmö. C-Y managed an Open call for the LSAS AiR in Sweden upon which a selection of artists and composers were made in dialogue with Nordnorsk kunstnersenter.

MUU is an artist run, Finnish interdisciplinary artist association founded in 1987. It represents and promotes experimental artistic forms such as media art, performance, video, sound and other modes of cultural production. MUU organised the Ääniä muualta – Nordic Soundscapes – Sounds from Elsewhere in Oulu 2016 and managed the Lofoten Sound Art Symposium AiR Open call for Finland upon which a selection of artists were made in dialogue with Nordnorsk kunstnersenter.

The North Norwegian Art Centre/Nordnorsk kunstnersenter (NNKS) is a regional centre for visual art, comprising the entire region of Northern Norway. The art centre’s office, gallery and artist residency is located in Svolvær, Lofoten. NNKS supports projects and regional initiatives in the field of visual art and runs an extensive programme throughout Northern Norway. Nordnorsk kunstnersenter selects the Norwegian participants of the Lofoten Sound Art Symposium AiR.

nyMusikk Nordland works to promote music and sound art through a series of concerts, lectures, meetings, screenings, performances and festivals aiming to increase interest in the field of sound art.

Lydgalleriet is an exhibition platform for sound art and sound related art practices, situated in Bergen, Norway. We explore today’s plethora of experimental sound based art practices and auditive cultures through gallery shows, concerts, workshops and interventions in public space. Lydgalleriet was initiated by a group of musicians, sound artists and art historians in 2005 and founded formally in 2007.

In addition to the Nordic partners, Lofoten Sound Art Symposium has the pleasure to collaborate with Melbourne based Liquid Archi­tec­ture which is an Aus­tralian organ­i­sa­tion for artists work­ing with sound. LA inves­ti­gates the sounds them­selves, but also the ideas com­mu­ni­cated about, and the mean­ing of, sound and lis­ten­ing. Their pro­gram stages encoun­ters and cre­ates spaces for sonic expe­ri­ence, and crit­i­cal reflec­tion on sonor­ity and sys­tems of sonic affect. In conjunction with LSAS they have commissioned two new works by artists Nathan Gray and Makiko Yamamoto.