Spatial Sound Platform 2024 – The Listening Room

Zone2Source, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
February & March 2024, Sonic Acts Biennial

The Listening Room
Situated at the crossroads of art, technology, and innovation, the Spatial Sound Platform by Sonic Acts aims to engage listeners in redefining the perception of spatial sound. Throughout the Sonic Acts Biennial 2024, the platform was situated at Zone2Source, a glass pavilion in the heart of Amstelpark. The continuous two-month programme encouraged visitors to return and re-visit the various sound pieces and concerts. It was envisioned as a living exhibition that challenged the ways we exhibit, present, and experience spatial sound.

The Listening Room exhibition hosted newly commissioned works by artists such as Felicity Mangan, KMRU, Slikback, Galen Tipton, Hugo Esquinca and Russell Haswell, and Mint Park. Additionally, iconic recordings by Annea Lockwood, Hildegard Westerkamp, BJ Nilsen, and more were unearthed from the Sonic Acts archive and diffused through the octophonic sound installation. Additionally, Ina GRM – the seminal musical research studio and venue based in Paris – provided cornerstone productions by Iannis Xenakis, Beatriz Ferreyra, and Luc Ferrari, amongst others.

All multichannel works and live performances were and still are accessible via Sonic Acts’ online radio, designed to stream via headphones or sound systems with spatial sound capabilities.

An interactive sound installation – Embedded/Embodied by Farzané and Arash Akbari – was also presented as part of the programme.

→ Listen to Spatial Sound Platform radio at https://radio.sonicacts.com

Concerts & Talks
Taking place on Thursday evenings during the Sonic Acts Biennial 2024, a series of live performances and talks also unfolded at Zone2Source.

A.I. Worldings featured Pheobe riley Law, Jez riley French, Farzané, and Arash Akbari, who explored recording technologies and A.I. as autonomous agents interacting with human and more-than-human entities through relational aesthetics and listening.

The Blue Hour presented Clara de Asís, Rebecca Lane, and Michael Speers, who performed at dusk, tuning into the shifting thresholds of perception and space through improvisation, just intonation, listening, and feedback.

Within Space showcased Casimir Geelhoed, Charo Calvo, and Max Eilbacher, who expanded on the elemental relationship between sound, space, and the listener through conceptual and intuitive compositions, merging electronic spatialisation with physical performance.

Listening Anew with KMRU invited the audience to engage with unedited recordings from the Sonic Acts archive, followed by a talk on archival listening practices and a live quadraphonic performance exploring waveform nuances and field recordings.

Spatial Sound Workshop
Led by artist and tutor Ji Youn Kang, this six-week workshop at Zone2Source culminated in a collective public concert featuring the participants.

→ Explore the Sonic Acts Biennial 2024 programme at https://2024.sonicacts.com

CREDITS
Camera: Alcaeus Spyrou, Arianna Cavalensi, Roman Ermolaev
Sound: Danny van der Lugt
Video editing: Hrvoslava Brkušić
Sound mastering: Hrvoje Nikšić
Intro sound: Jessica Ekomane
Intro design: Knoth & Renner with Anja Kaiser

This video is published by Paradiso & Sonic Acts as part of New Perspectives for Action, a project by Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the European Union.