Sound Art Festival in Monheim am Rhein

Today sound art is not only part of contemporary music festivals but also an established field of the fine arts. Indeed, sound art has become a fixture at exhibitions around the world such as the documenta and Venice Biennale. The organisers of this newly established sound art festival in Monheim am Rhein have now provided this art form a venue of its own, at which a broad spectrum of international positions will be presented over a period of one month. Artists of different generations and aesthetic styles will acoustically and musically adorn the entire downtown. Fixed installations, performative actions and other temporary works, some of which will pop up unexpectedly or take place briefly, will be staged at various locations throughout the city. The invited artists include Rie Nakajima, one of the most unconventional, experimental sound artists in Japan today, and the Danish artist Jacob Kirkegaard whose sound works incorporate the musicality of our environment. For instance, he has captured and investigated the sounds of volcanic earth, ice, nuclear power plants and deserted places. The Dutch artists’ collective Staalplaat Soundsystem develops its installations and performances for industrial sites, public spaces and places in nature. The programme is supplemented by curated sound walks, workshops by various artists and a series of artists’ interviews and portraits. Following the Sound Art Festival, another newly established music festival of contemporary, improvised and popular music – the Monheim Triennale – will also take place in Monheim am Rhein for the first time in 2020.

Artistic director: Frank Schulte
Curator: Theresa Bergne
Musicians: Jacob Kirkegaard, Rie Nakajima, STAALPLAAT SOUNDSYSTEM, Christina Kubisch and others