Sound art is the bridge that connects two entire artistic worlds: music and the fine arts. Taking sound and its myriad different ways of processing as a starting point, the sound artist creates a work that unfolds in parallel in space and time, incorporating, where appropriate, elements of sculpture, sound experimentation, architectural and interactive environments, visual installations and audiovisual correlations. The works often abolish the distinction between words and popular artistic expression, reaching out to electronic music, alternative rock or contemporary art. On the weekend of October 19 and 20, the Megaron will host sound installations by Greek artists, giving the public the opportunity to experience first-hand a world of artistic expression that is vibrant, dynamic and constantly seeking the paths of tomorrow.
Sound art is a dynamic field of artistic practice that bridges the world of music with the fine arts. Unlike musical composition, which focuses on the temporal axis, sound art works are mainly developed on the spatial axis and are usually exhibited in galleries and exhibition spaces, rather than presented in concert halls. In its structure, sound art incorporates elements of sculpture, sonic experimentation, architectural and interactive environments, visual installations and audiovisual correlations. Its vanguard includes figures from the contemporary music scene such as John Cage and Iannis Xenakis, as well as visual artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Takis.
Sound art can include strong technological elements or rely on non-technological means, with an emphasis on the conceptual dimension of the work and often adopting a critical approach. This art form often resists the division between scholarly and popular artistic expression, and attracts artists from various fields, such as electronic music, alternative rock, but also from academia and contemporary art. Sound art is an ambiguous and hybrid term that unites various forms of artistic expression with sound as a common thread. Max Neuhaus, one of the best known sound artists, was quoted in an essay:
“With our now unbounded means to shape sound, there are, of course, an infinite number of possibilities to cultivate the vast potential of this medium in ways which do go beyond the limits of music and, in fact, to develop new art forms.”
On the weekend of October 19 and 20, the Megaron will welcome the public with sound art creations by Greek artists, offering the opportunity to explore a vibrant and dynamic world of artistic expression.The project “Post-human radio” by Marinos Koutsomichalis explores radio frequencies and technologies related to radio through a series of experimental electronic devices. Aphrodite Psarra’s “Altar of Interdimensional Entanglements” consists of a series of suspended knitted tapestries representing portals that emit sound compositions with field recordings of radio signals. In the interactive work “26Fe” the art group oneContinuousLab (Odysseas Kleissouras, Alexandros Kontogeorgakopoulos) combines physical space with sonic time and materiality, activating various interdependent material objects through algorithmic and interactive processes. The “Fuzzy Void” by Alexandros Drymonitis and Dimitris Haritou is a site-specific sound installation, a sound environment that is formed by the assembly of existing elements, material objects and mechanisms that the artists incorporate into the cloakroom. The work “Acropolis on the Bottom” by Panos Charalambous acoustically shapes sound through a series of metallic sound columns. Finally, the work “Stromatografia” by the art group Akoo.o (Ismeni Gatou, Nikos Boubaris, Giorgos Samantas, Dana Papachristou) offers a geo-located sonic walk in the garden of the Athens Concert Hall, creating a dense environment of stimuli and knowledge at the boundaries of the existent and the active.
Artistic curation
Alexandros Kontogeorgakopoulos (Assistant Professor, TDigital Arts and Digital Art Installations in the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema of the National and Kapodestrian University of Athens (NKUA))
Dimitris Haritos (Professor of Department of Communication and Media Studies, UoA))
