In this series, I highlight fifteen of my favorite sound artists who emerged in the 2000s and 2010s.

Last time, we looked at the politically charged work of Lawrence Abu Hamdan, the kinetic sculptures of Yuko Mohri and Andreas Trobollowitsch, the playful aesthetics of Ioana Vreme Moser and the spatial experimental instruments of Tarek Atoui.

Now, we turn the spotlight on five more artists whose practices blur the boundaries between sound, music and visual art: Christine Sun Kim, Floris Vanhoof, Hanne Lippard, Félix Blume and Evan Ifekoya

Christine Sun Kim

(b. 1980, USA; based in Berlin)

A deaf sound artist? Yes, that’s possible. Much of today’s sound art is actually “non-cochlear”, a term coined by Seth Kim-Cohen in 2009. In other words, it doesn’t necessarily have to be with sound, it can also be about sound: its social, political, linguistic and historical contexts.

As a deaf artist, Christine Sun Kim is known for her use of musical notation, written language and American Sign Language in relation to sound and the body.

“Listening doesn’t have to be through the ears at all.” - Christine Sun Kim

See this video where she talks about sign language.

Why follow?

Because Christine Sun Kim shows visually how she perceives sound: not through her ears, but through her body, sight and mind. Her work is also about how a deaf person navigates and is perceived in our society. She opens your eyes (and ears) to what sound art can also be: visual art about sound.

One key work: The Sound of Temperature Rising (2016)

In The Sound of Temperature Rising (2016), she shows how climate change feels from a deaf perspective. Using visual scores and sound vibrations, she imagines what global warming might “sound” like beyond hearing. The work challenges how we experience sound and draws attention to the invisible yet growing tension of a warming planet.

Floris Vanhoof

(b. 1985, Belgium)

Antwerp-based artist Floris Vanhoof explores new ideas with old media. He is interested in how different media and our senses overlap, combining self-built electronic music circuits, old analogue projection techniques and scientific experiments.

Why follow?

Because every work by Floris Vanhoof starts from a deep understanding of 20th-century art, film, music and science, as well as the workings of analogue electronic technologies. Like a media archeologist, he re-interprets old techniques and combines this curiosity with humour and quirky references to other artists. (like his 2017 sculpture Polyhedra being a reference to David Tudor’s Rainforest IV, see picture above).

One key work: Antenna (2022)

Antenna (2022) is a grand piano topped with a hexagonal antenna that plays itself. Its strings vibrate in response to invisible electromagnetic waves, from distant thunderstorms to nearby smartphones and passing cars. The antenna picks up these ever-present signals and translates them into vibrations, turning the piano into an instrument played by its surroundings. With Antenna, Vanhoof places an old mechanical instrument in the wireless age, exploring how the visible can respond to the invisible.

See this video about Antenna made by The Wire Magazine.

Hanne Lippard

(b. 1984, Norway/UK; based in Berlin)

Hanne Lippard’s practice explores her own voice. In her multichannel speaker installations, she recites powerful texts that are performative and musical in their rhythm and sonority, while unfolding different layers of meaning and offering playful, often funny, winks.

“The mouth is always my favourite medium” - Hanne Lippard

Why follow?

Because Lippard’s installations are as much about language as they are about sound. Unlike many sound art works that foreground acoustic explorations, her work draws attention to the words themselves: their rhythm, repetition and meaning. Get cozy between the speakers and listen as language starts to shift, grammatical rules are stretched and familiar words take on new meanings.

One key work: Sour Loop (2025)

Sour Loop, commissioned by Haus der Kunst in Munich, is a collaboration between Hanne Lippard and renowned ambient composer Laurel Halo. Together, they combine musical composition and linguistic experimentation to explore how sound occupies public spaces.

The work is inspired by how sound shapes our public spaces, and how it can be both comfortable and menacing. It uses recordings and sonic references ranging from easy-listening muzak, PA announcements and advertisements to the hostile sounds of anti-loitering deterrents.

Check her website where you can listen to various audio compositions.

Félix Blume

(b. 1984, France; based in Mexico)

In the world of Félix Blume, the connection between his art and the environment is crucial. His work uses locally sourced materials and involves local groups, while drawing attention to ecological problems and referring to cultural traditions.

This approach can be seen in his aquatic sculptures Suspiros and Rumors from the Sea, in which he creates site-specific flutes that are played by the water. For Suspiros, schoolchildren created clay ocarinas for a lagoon in Mexico. In Rumors from the Sea, hundreds of bamboo flutes refer to a practice in Thailand, where bamboo structures are used as seawalls to slow coastal erosion.

Why follow?

Because Blume’s work is playful and aesthetically pleasing, while making environmental issues tangible. His installations invite us to listen closely to animals, water and landscapes while involving local communities in the making of the work.

One key work: Essaim | Swarm (2021)

Essaim | Swarm is com­po­sed of 250 small spea­kers. Each spea­ker repro­du­ces the sound of a sin­gle fly­ing bee. The visi­tor is invi­ted to appro­ach tho­se litt­le bees and beco­me part of the swarm. It is then pos­si­ble to lis­ten to tho­se voi­ces as many indi­vi­du­al tes­ti­mo­nies by the­se wor­kers that tend to get unno­ti­ced. Félix Blume has recor­ded the bees whi­le fora­ging with a sound recor­ding stu­dio spe­ci­fi­cally desig­ned for them.

Evan Ifekoya

(b. 1982, Nigeria; based in London)

Evan Ifekoya is a British-Nigerian artist and writer whose multidisciplinary practice explores queer identity, Blackness, spirituality and collective experience. Their work combines sound, video, poetry and sculpture to create multisensory environments that invite you to reflect and feel at home.

Why follow?

Because Ifekoya offers a different perspective on what sound art can be. Their work moves beyond the idea of sound as an isolated acoustic or musical medium, creating colourful, multisensory environments where sound, light, sculpture, text and the body come together. By bringing Black and queer experiences, spirituality and collective memory into these spaces, Ifekoya also challenges the predominantly Western - and often white - frameworks of sound art.

One key work: ~ Resonant Frequencies (2022)

Shown at Migros Museum in Zurich, ~ Resonant Frequencies transformed the museum into a multisensory environment of sound, light, reflective surfaces, water, architectural structures and vibrating surfaces. Visitors could physically enter the work and experience sound through their bodies.

This summer, New York’s Park Avenue Armory is presenting the largest iteration yet of clinamen, the celebrated site-responsive sound sculpture by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot.

Following its hugely successful presentation at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris - where it captivated hundreds of thousands of visitors - clinamen arrives in New York on an even more ambitious scale. Installed within the Armory’s monumental Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the work transforms the vast space into a contemplative aquatic environment where sound, movement and chance converge.

The installation consists of three circular pools filled with hundreds of white ceramic bowls floating freely on the water’s surface. Guided by subtle currents, the vessels drift and gently collide, producing delicate microtonal chimes that echo throughout the hall. No two moments are alike: the composition continuously evolves, creating a meditative sonic landscape. clinamen invites visitors to slow down and dive into a of playful choreography of movement and sound.

“The Drill Hall is so immense that it allows visitors to really step into the heart of the sound, themselves becoming part of the installation and others’ experience of it. This work is an invitation to stay together with other people to share a moment of grace and beauty, or to delve into a more deep and intimate reverie,” - Céleste Boursier-Mougenot

clinamen runs from 10 June till 2 August 2026 at Park Avenue Armory in New York.

More info: www.armoryonpark.org

Video credits:

clinamen (v.11) 2026, Exhibition view at Park Avenue Armory © Céleste Boursier-Mougenot/ADAGP |Video: @sargentimages, Courtesy of @parkavearmory

From monumental outdoor sculptures and hidden listening walks to major exhibitions and experimental festivals, from the Nordic countries to the Belgian countryside, and from the Croatian coast to the eternal city of Rome, sound art is all over Europe this summer.

Het Klankenbos (updated collection)

Permanent exhibition

One of Europe’s largest open-air sound art collections is reopening following a period of closure for renovations and the removal of several older installations. Discover permanent sound sculptures by Hans van Koolwijk, Félix Blume and Bosch & Simons, or come to the opening even on 4 July for performances by Gemma Luz, Jochem Baelus (Slumberland) and Ceres Lauwers.

🗓 Year-round, official re-opening on 4 July

📍Pelt, Belgium 🇧🇪

Link

Germaine Kruip — Reflection

Permanent sculpture

Commissioned by the Hasselt arts centre Z33, Dutch visual artist Germaine Kruip has created a permanent public sound work on the banks of the River Meuse. The large brass sculpture can be activated by passers-by, allowing its resonant tones to carry across the surrounding rural landscape.

🗓 Year-round

📍Maasmechelen, Belgium 🇧🇪

Link

Windorgel Vlissingen

Permanent sculpture

An absolute classic of public sound sculpture. First installed in 1975 by Belgian sculptor Raphaël August Opstaele, this pioneering work on the North Sea coast captures and amplifies the sound of the wind through a series of pipes.

🗓 Year-round

📍Vlissingen, Netherlands 🇳🇱

Link

Matteo Marangoni — Chorusing Symbionts

Temporary sculpture

In a city garden in Maastricht, this group of sonic creatures hides among the greenery, creating spatial electronic music that responds to environmental sounds and coexists naturally with the garden’s wildlife.

🗓 Until 31 July

📍Marres city garden, Maastricht, The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Link

état bruit

Group exhibition

What happens when noise becomes culture? état bruit brings together artists who explore the social, political and emotional dimensions of sound in contemporary life. Featuring works by Gabriela Löffel, Brognon Rollin, Aura Satz, Nika Schmitt, Tintin Patrone, Open Group and Nik Nowak.

🗓 Until 20 September

📍Konschthal Esch, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg 🇱🇺

Link

Christina Kubisch — The Emergence of Sound

Solo exhibition

Few artists have revealed the hidden world around us as elegantly as Christina Kubisch. For more than forty years, her Electrical Walks and sound sculptures have uncovered electromagnetic signals that are constantly present yet rarely perceived.

🗓 Until 20 September

📍Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany 🇩🇪

Link

Andreas Oldörp — Über den Teichen

Permanent sculpture

One of Europe’s longest-running public sound sculptures continues to sound quietly deep within a German forest. It consists of seven long pipes that produce soft harmonies through a pneumatic system.

🗓 Year-round

📍WaldSkulpturenWeg, Sauerland, Germany 🇩🇪

Link

John Cage — As Slow As Possible

Permanent sculpture

In the small town of Halberstadt, situated in the beautiful Harz region in central Germany, visitors can experience a permanent sound installation by John Cage all year round. Entitled As Slow As Possible, this organ composition has been performed in St. Burchardi church since 2001, and is not due to end until the year 2640. This makes it one of the longest-running non-computerised piece currently being performed. The notes only change by replacing one organ pipe at a time.

🗓 Year-round. The next note change (‘Klangwechsel’) will be on 5 August 2026.

📍 St. Burchardi, Halberstadt, Germany 🇩🇪

Link

Soft Signals

Group exhibition

Soft Signals is a two-part exhibition and festival dedicated to sound and visual art. Taking place in June 2026 at the Goethe-Institut Paris and in September 2026 at Bilker Bunker in Düsseldorf, the project brings together emerging artists from France and Germany, including Mélia Roger, Alan Affichard and Marjolijn Guldentops.

🗓 Until 20 August in Paris (From 3 September in Düsseldorf)

📍Goethe Institut, Paris, France 🇫🇷

Link

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot —Points de Suspension

Solo exhibition

A swing that is also a bell tower? That is one of the installations in a new exhibition by the renowned French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot in the harbour city of Caen. Multiple site-specific works resonate throughout the architecture of the former seventeenth-century convent that houses the Frac.

🗓 Until 30 August

📍Frac Normandie, Caen 🇫🇷

Link

The Sound Of

Group exhibition

One exhibition across two cities. Moving between Malmö and Roskilde, this programme presents eleven artists exploring the poetic, spatial and political possibilities of sound through installation, video, performance and text. Featuring works by Annika Kahrs, Hanne Lippard, Emeka Ogboh and others.

🗓 Until 8 November

📍Moderna Museet, Malmö, Sweden 🇸🇪 & Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark 🇩🇰

Link

Nine Days Of Green

Group exhibition

A temporary platform for sound art, poetry and listening centred around Greens Boghandel and Sorgenfri Torv. Conceived as both a festival and a prototype for a future Museum of Sound Art, it brings together artists around the theme of social listening, with a strong selection of Nordic practitioners including Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Maia Urstad, Jana Winderen and others.

🗓 Until 27 June

📍Sorgenfri, Denmark 🇩🇰

Link

Klangwelt Toggenburg

Permanent exhibition

Klangwelt Toggenburg is a large scale open air collection of sound art located in the foothills of the Eastern Swiss Alps. Inspired by the traditional singing and music culture of the region, the ‘Klangwelt’ (‘sound world’) now offers a sound house, a sound blacksmith, a resonance centre and even a sound hiking trail with works by Marco Barotti, Mélia Roger or Peter Ablinger.

🗓 Spring & Summer

📍Toggenburg, Switzerland 🇨🇭

Link

The ear is the eye to the soul (Holy See Pavilion, Venice Biennale)

Group exhibition

The Venice Biennale can often feel overwhelming, which makes the Vatican Pavilion such a welcome refuge. Inspired by the life and work of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, the site becomes a place for contemplation, silence and attentive listening, with headphone-based compositions by artists including Brian Eno, FKA twigs, Kali Malone, Moor Mother, Caterina Barbieri and Patti Smith.

🗓 Until 22 November

📍Venezia, Italy 🇮🇹

Link

Hidden Noise

Group exhibition

This exhibition is an ode to the church organ, staged in a beautiful Renaissance villa in Rome. Curated by organist Hampus Lindwall, it brings together archival documents, artworks and sonic contributions by artists including Ellen Arkbro, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Amina Hocine, Haroon Mirza and Charlemagne Palestine.

🗓 Until 19 September

📍Villa Lontana, Roma, Italy 🇮🇹

Link

Zadar Sea Organ

Permanent sculpture

The Zadar Sea Organ is a must-hear attraction if you’re on holiday on the Croatian coast. Designed by local architect Nikola Bašić, it is a public sound installation that plays frequencies created by waves moving through pipes beneath the large marble steps. Opened in 2005, it has since become one of the world’s most visited sound artworks.

🗓 Year-round

📍Zadar, Croatia 🇭🇷

Link

Jonáš Gruska - Artificial Ultrasonics Research

Solo exhibition

At KIBLA, a cultural centre in Maribor, Slovak artist Jonáš Gruska explores two sides of ultrasound in our environment: bat echolocation calls and the sonic weapons, deterrents and stray emissions that saturate Tokyo’s acoustic landscape.

🗓 Until 4 July

📍KIBLA, Maribor, Slovenia 🇸🇮

Link

Sanatorium of Sound 2026

Festival

Poland’s most adventurous summer festival for sound art and experimental music takes place in a remote village near the Czech border. Installations, performances and concerts feature artists including GAMUT INC, Rashad Becker, Robin Fox, Sholto Dobie and Elvin Brandhi.

🗓 6 August → 9 August 2026

📍Sokołowsko, Poland 🇵🇱

Link

Tarek Atoui

Solo exhibition

One of the most influential sound artists working today, Lebanese-born Tarek Atoui presents two works at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Souffle Continu, set within a reverberant chapel, explores the tactile qualities of sound—its vibrations and the movement of wind through instruments—while Sunflowers unfolds as a series inspired by the rhythmic and material traditions of Korean drumming.

🗓 Until 19 July

📍IMMA, Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪

Link

Whether you’re discovering electromagnetic currents in Aachen, listening to the sea in Zadar or wandering through the Klankenbos in Pelt, I wish you nothing but good vibrations this summer!

Billie’s Ear

Many books have been written about the pioneers of sound art—figures such as Max Neuhaus, Maryanne Amacher, Dick Raaijmakers, Akio Suzuki, and Bernard Leitner. The defining artists of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s are also well established by now, from Céleste Boursier-Mougenot and Christina Kubisch to Bill Fontana, Janet Cardiff, and Susan Philipsz. Their works have become key reference points in the history of the field, shaping how sound art is exhibited, discussed and understood today.

But what about the next generation?

This new series focuses on a younger generation: artists born after 1980 who began developing their practices in the 2010s. Across three Substack posts, I’ll explore the work of fifteen fascinating artists whose ideas, installations and performances are shaping the contemporary sound art landscape.

Lawrence Abu Hamdan

(°1985, Jordan born, Dubai based)

Lawrence Abu Hamdan was the second sound artist to win the prestigious Turner Prize in 2019, after Susan Philipsz famously winning the price in 2010. With his sharp focus on the politics of listening, Abu Hamdan has become one of the most influential and outspoken sound artists working today.

Why follow?

Because he uses sound and audio to examine human rights, law, and power in conflicts around the world. In 2023, he founded Earshot, the world’s first non-profit organization dedicated to using audio to advocate for human rights and the environment.

One key work

One exemplary piece of work is a project called Zifzafa, that explores the repercussions of the implementation of (loud) wind turbines in the occupied Golan Heights by the Israel government. It shows how sound can influence the everyday life of the inhabitants.

Besides a video installation, Zifzafa also exists as a lecture-performance in which Lawrence Abu Hamdan takes the stage alongside two musicians from the Golan Heights.

Yuko Mohri

(°1980, Tokyo)

Yuko Mohri is a Japanese artist who creates kinetic and sonic installations from everyday objects, musical instruments and machine parts. Her works often resemble living ecosystems: delicate networks of objects connected through movement, sound, and chance. Mohri represented Japan at the 2024 Venice Biennale and will present a major solo exhibition at the Barbican in 2026.

Why follow?

Because her work is both playful and accessible. Using familiar objects -umbrellas, fruit, wires, fans and found materials - Mohri creates installations that are easy to enter yet rich in complexity. Building on the sound art tradition of kinetic sculptures and found-object assemblages, she gives it a distinctly contemporary and ecological dimension. Her installations are animated by invisible forces such as gravity, magnetism, wind, and light, turning the gallery into a constantly shifting environment where nothing feels entirely in control.

One key work

In 2025, Mohri transformed the vast industrial hall of Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan with Entanglements. Rather than presenting a series of discrete artworks, she turned the exhibition into a single, interconnected environment - a sprawling network of objects, sounds, and movements that seemed to breathe and evolve over time. The project also featured live performances by Jim O’Rourke and Eiko Ishibashi, who activated and responded to this immersive sonic landscape.

Tarek Atoui

(°1980, Beirut born, Paris based)

One of the most influential sound artists working today, Tarek Atoui is known for his custom-built instruments that combine organ pipes, percussion, electronics and other resonant materials. These instruments are often arranged across large spaces, creating immersive environments in which sound is experienced as a physical phenomenon and also can be used for performances by him and other musicians.

Why follow?

Because he turns entire spaces into instruments. Working with elemental materials - water, air, stone, and bronze - he creates sound environments that feel both ancient and radically experimental. His practice is deeply collaborative, bringing together craftspeople, researchers and curators in the making process. And unlike many artworks that ask us only to observe, his instruments often invite participation. Musicians and visitors are encouraged to play, listen, and discover their own relationship to the sounds they produce.

One key work

A key project is WITHIN (since 2015), created in collaboration with deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Through vibrations, touch, and movement, Atoui explores sound as a physical experience rather than something that is only heard.

Ioana Vreme Moser

(°1994, Romania born, Berlin based)

Ioana Vreme Moser is a Romanian media artist whose audiovisual installations combine hardware electronics, sound, and speculative research. Her projects range from radio-transmitting lipsticks (see below) and floating sonic creatures drifting across a lake to sound sculptures made from rose-shaped leaves. What unites these works is their inventive use of materials and their ability to transform technical systems into strange, evocative narratives.

Why follow?

Because her work is deeply personal, playful, and story-driven. Unlike much sound art that focuses primarily on acoustic phenomena, Vreme Moser uses sound as a vehicle for exploring broader cultural and historical questions. Her installations weave together themes of media archaeology, femininity, technology and the entangled relationships between humans and the natural world.

One key work

In Arsenic Ballerinas (2026), a swarm of red brass lipsticks doubles as a network of miniature radio transmitters. Resembling bullets, these objects recall a curious wartime exchange of materials: during the Second World War, lipstick tubes were melted down to produce ammunition, while shell casings were later transformed into cosmetic packaging. By linking these histories, the work draws attention both to the expansion of the beauty industry and to the largely forgotten role of amateur women radio operators, whose technical skills and communication networks became an important part of the wartime landscape.

Andreas Trobollowitsch

(°1980, Austria)

Andreas Trobollowitsch is an Austrian artist who builds experimental instruments and kinetic sound sculptures. Starting from existing objects like guitars, drums, fans, vinyl players and other familiar musical devices, he transforms them into automated sound machines that blur the boundaries between instrument, sculpture and performance.

Why follow?

Because Trobollowitsch approaches sound art with the mindset of a musician. His instruments and machines have the purpose to make electroacoustic music. Whether functioning as autonomous kinetic sculptures or as instruments for live improvisation, his works are designed to explore acoustics and engage in dialogue with improvising musicians. A compelling example is his Ventorgano, a hybrid string-organ instrument.

One key work

A key work is Zagezähne (‘Saw Teeth’), a series of acoustic guitars played by motorized saw blades, producing drones and shifting harmonics. As with many of Trobollowitsch’s works, the piece has appeared in various configurations over the years, continuously evolving through new iterations.

Spring is here! That means it’s time for a new list of upcoming sound art exhibitions - of which you should visit at least one.

These include festivals such as Oscillation (Brussels), Proximity Music (The Hague) and Archipel (Geneva), but also permanent exhibitions and museums, like Klangwelt Toggenburg in the Swiss Alps and the Sound Art Museum in Beijing.

Then there are group exhibitions such as État Bruit (Luxembourg) and Direct Bodily Empathy (New Plymouth), and solo exhibitions by Tarek Atoui (Dublin), Ryuichi Sakamoto (Hong Kong), Laurel Halo & Hanne Lippard (London), Björk (Reykjavik), Else Marie Pade (Berlin) and Yuko Mohri (New York).

Oscillation festival

Brussels’ annual high mass for experimental sound unfolds this year as a 10-day festival, migrating each day to a different location across the metropole. The program features performances by Ka Baird, Mariam Rezaei, Limpe Fuchs & Mark Fell, Jennifer Walshe, and Rhodri Davies. Meanwhile, at iMAL, visitors can explore an exhibition showcasing works by Aernoudt Jacobs (Pictures), Charlie Usher & many others. The programme is astonishing.

🗓 24 April 2026 → 3 May 2026

📍Various locations, Brussels, Belgium

Link

Proximity Music

Internationally renowned festival Rewire joins forces with artist collective iii for the sixth edition of Proximity Music: an walk through The Hague with sound installations presented in architectural contexts. Along the route, visitors encounter works such as Koenraad de Groot’s resonating ceramic vessels (picture) and a grand piano animated by electromagnetic waves in Floris Vanhoof’s installation.

🗓 9 April 2026 → 12 April 2026

📍Various locations, Den Hague, The Netherlands

Link

Björk —  Echolalia

Iceland’s National Gallery presents an exhibition dedicated to its most famous inhabitant, Björk. The visionary singer-songwriter, performer and poet has spent decades pushing beyond musical conventions, weaving together art, nature and technology. A highlight of the show is an oval-shaped video installation featuring a polyphonic nine-part choral composition.

🗓 31 May 2026 → 20 September 2026

📍The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland

Link

Tarek Atoui — Souffle Continu and Sunflowers

One of the most influential sound artists working today, Lebanan-born Tarek Atoui, presents two works at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Souffle Continu, set within a reverberant chapel, explores the tactile qualities of sound - its vibrations and the movement of wind instruments - while Sunflowers unfolds as a series inspired by the rhythmic and material traditions of Korean drumming.

🗓 21 February 2026 → 19 July 2026

📍IMMA, Dublin, Ireland

Link

état bruit

One of Luxembourg’s leading contemporary art space, Konschthal Esch, presents état bruit, a group exhibition bringing together sound artists including Luxembourger Nika Schmitt (picture) and Aura Satz, with her acclaimed film Preemptive Listening about sirens. In a complex, multipolar world where economic, political, and cultural agendas collide and overlap, the exhibition turns its focus to artists who engage with this dense and noisy environment.

🗓 28 March 2026 → 20 September 2026

📍Konschthal Esch, Luxembourg

Link

Archipel festival

Geneva’s most adventurous festival for contemporary composition, improvisation and sound art is back with an ambitious programme. Highlights include Thai bamboo mouth organ player Sombat Simla and various live works by German sound artist Christina Kubisch. There will also be an exhibition featuring five installations by Peter Ablinger, Octave Courtin (picture) and others.

🗓 17 April 2026 → 26 April 2026

📍Maison Communale de Plainpalais, Genève, Switzerland

Link

Klangwelt Toggenburg

Europe’s largest permanent outdoor collection of sound art is located in the foothills of the eastern Swiss Alps. Drawing inspiration from the region’s traditional singing and music culture, the ‘Klangwelt’ (’sound world’) now features a sound house, a sound blacksmith, a resonance centre, and a sound hiking trail showcasing works by Marco Barotti, Mélia Roger and Florian Dombois (picture).

🗓 Permanent exhibition

📍Alt St. Johann, Switzerland

Link

Else Marie Pade — Partitur

KW (KunstWerke) Berlin is presenting the first international exhibition dedicated to the Danish composer and sound artist Else Marie Pade (1924–2016): a pioneer of musique concrète and European electronic music who studied with Pierre Schaeffer. The exhibition is presented as a listening room featuring spatialised, multichannel works and the original graphic scores.

🗓 21 February 2026 → 20 May 2026

📍Various locations, Berlin, Germany

Link

Laurel Halo & Hanne Lippard — Sour Loop

A collaborative sound installation by musician Laurel Halo and artist Hanne Lippard, combining musical composition and linguistic experimentation to reflect on how sound occupies public spaces (easy-listening muzak, PA announcements and advertisements to the hostility of anti-loitering deterrents).

🗓 26 March 2026 → 12 April 2026

📍Somerset House, London, UK

Link

Ryuichi Sakamoto — Seeing sound, hearing time

This large scale exhibition celebrates the legacy of the late Japanese composer. It features immersive ‘installation music’, combining Ryuichi Sakamoto’s compositions with visuals by Shiro Takatani and Carsten Nicolai.

🗓 14 February 2026 → 5 July 2026

📍M+, Hong Kong, China

Link

Sound Art Museum

A proper ‘Sound Art Museum’? Yes, and it’s located in Beijing, China. This huge museum, which opened in 2023, is solely dedicated to music and sound culture. As well as exhibitions on sound art, it also features exhibitions on traditional music and ethnomusicology. For example, there is an exhibition about the sounds of natural Africa featuring recordings by Chris Watson, and an exhibition about the ‘sounds of old Beijing’.

🗓 Permanent collection & temporary exhibitions

📍Beijing, China

Link

Yuko Mohri — Falling Water Given

Japanese artist Yuko Mohri, one of the rising stars of sound art, is presenting a solo show at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York. In this exhibition, she presents her signature transformations of everyday materials into kinetic, humoristic and sounding ecosystems.

🗓 19 February 2026 → 18 April 2026

📍Tanya Bonakdar gallery, New York, USA

Link

Direct Bodily Empathy — Sound, Signal, Feedback

This group exhibition explores sound as a significant material force in the world. Using deep listening as a means of knowledge building and a tool for critically engaging with a planet in crisis, it explores audible currents and felt vibrations, as well as sirens and noise. The exhibition features works by Aura Satz, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Yuko Mohri, among others.

🗓 4 April 2026 → 11 November 2026

📍 Govett-Brewster Art Gallery & Len Lye Centre, New Plymouth, New Zealand

Link

P.S. If you know of any other sound art events happening, especially in regions with which I am less familiar (Eastern Europe and other continents), please let me know :-)

If you’re a bit into sound art, you can’t escape the organ these days. From automated organs to water-blown pipes and interactive windbags: sound artists are increasingly incorporating elements of the traditional pipe organ to create immersive resonances and fill large spaces with a ‘physical’ sound experience.

The organ is also a beloved instrument in today’s electroacoustic composition, favoured by artists such as Kali Malone, Anna von Hausswolff, Sarah Davachi, Tristan Perich or Charlemagne Palestine, among many others.

Although it’s becoming somewhat clichéd, I personally can’t get enough of it. I just love being immersed in thick, meditative layers of drones and pulsating beats, with deep, rich bass sounds reverberating in large spaces.

But why are so many sound artists using elements of the traditional pipe organ?

Here are some possible reasons:

1. The first is a practical consideration: pipe organs are just very commonly found in chapels and churches, particularly in Christian countries. Many of these places of worship are often empty or no longer in use. These organs are available to play, disassemble, sold or reused.

2. There’s an increasing fatigue toward electronic instruments, ‘abstract’ software and digital screens. Many artists seem to be turning back to mechanical instruments and acoustic sound, drawn to the feel of robust materials and the act of producing physical sound in a specific space. Working with tubes and wind follows a simple, age-old principle, and it feels like returning to the fundamentals of how sound is made.

3. Essentially, an organ is a mechanical synthesizer that produces ‘pure’ tones which can be layered to create complex spectral harmonies. You can sculpt simple frequencies and start building timbres from scratch. Or, as Charlemagne Palestine puts it: “The organ is the best synthesizer”.

1. The organ possesses an immense physical sonic power. In vast, reverberant spaces like a church, it can produce frequencies so low they pulse through the body and so high they ring sharply in the ears.

2. The organ is capable of sustaining long tones, which makes it particularly suited to ambient, drone, and repetitive music. In this sense, the organ is the ultimate drone machine.

3. It carries strong associations with a mysterious past and the sense of a place, with monumental architecture, the sacred and religious, and with old musical traditions that are often a source of inspiration, especially folk and medieval music.

10 sound art installations using organ pipes

Phillip Sollmann & Konrad Sprenger — Modular Organ System

This long-running project by the Berlin-based duo Phillip Sollmann and Konrad Sprenger transforms spaces into resonating chambers using a modular collection of homemade organ pipes and horns.

More info

Navid Navab — Organism: In Turbulence

A pipe organ from 1910 is rescued from gentrification at a heritage site in Montreal and transformed into an experimental instrument for live performances and installations. Composer Navid Navab can create fast rhythms and complex patterns by controlling the wind input by computer.

More info

Massimo Bartolini, Caterina Barbieri, Kali Malone & Gavin Bryars — Due qui / To Hear

For the Italian Pavilion of the 2024 Venice Biennial, artist Massimo Bartolini invited minimalist composers Kali Malone, Gavin Bryars and Caterina Barbieri to collaborate on an architectural sculpture centered around organ pipes. The audience is invited to walk through the scaffolding installation while being immersed in soothing organ harmonies.

More info

Andreas Oldörp — Über den Teichen

Deep in the German woods, sound artist Andreas Oldörp arranged a circle of pipes to create quiet tones, inviting hikers to contemplate. Installed almost 25 years ago, it is one of the oldest permanent sound installations in Europe.

More info

Ronald van der Meijs — Exploring earthly sounds for nine candles

Dutch sound artist Ronald van der Meijs uses burning church candles to slowly raise the pitch of ultra-low organ pipes. Their different burning speeds create a constantly shifting, pulsating bass rhythm.

More info

Maxime Denuc — Elevations

Following the acclaim of his album Nachthorn for MIDI organ, French-Belgian minimalist composer Maxime Denuc decided to build a mobile automated organ himself, working with the iconic Belgian organ builder Tony Decap. The result is a series of dub techno-infused patterns that use fragile, ephemeral organ sounds.

More info

Nikola Bašić — Zadar Sea Organ

Designed by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić, the famous Zadar Sea Organ is a monumental music instrument built into the steps along the Adriatic coast in Zadar. Using the movement of sea waves, it creates melodic sounds through underwater pipes, turning natural forces into music. This popular tourist attraction offers inhabitants and tourists a peaceful sound experience while they gaze at the deep blue Adriatic Sea.

More info

Anouk Kellner — Airchoir N°2

In her series Airchoirs, the young Belgian artist Anouk Kellner uses old his­to­ric organ pipes and adds infla­ta­ble tex­ti­le sculp­tu­res that bre­a­the in and out like lungs.

More info

John Cage — As Slow as Possible

John Cage, a true icon of the avant-garde, created a ultra-minimalist musical piece designed to be played over a 639-year duration on a specially built organ in Halberstadt, Germany. The performance began in 2001 and is scheduled to conclude in 2640. The next chord change is due for 5 August 2026!

More info (they have merch!)

Logos Foundation — Pneumaphone project

Similar to Anouk Kellner’s work, the Pneumaphone project combines inflatables with wooden organ pipes and horns to create fun interactions for all ages. The first version was created in 1981 by Belgian sound art pioneers Moniek Darge and Godfried-Willem Raes, who are based at the Logos Foundation in Ghent.

More info

With the beginning of 2026 approaching, I wanted to share my personal recommendations for sound art excursions in Western Europe over the coming cold winter months.

I’m particularly excited about these four festivals, which combine an audiovisual exhibition with an extensive live programme: Sonic Acts in Amsterdam, CTM Festival in Berlin, Son.Oor in Brussels and Artefact in Leuven.

There will also be large-scale museum exhibitions by Christian Marclay (Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin), Annika Kahrs (Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin) and Ryoji Ikeda (180 Studios, London), as well as smaller installations by Modular Organ System (Sammlung Philara) and Meriem Bennani (Lafayette Anticipations).

Finally, we will take a closer look at some events with a very specific focus, such as Sound Arguments (on sound studies), PRÉSENCES électronique (on music for acousmonium) and Beyond Music (on sound performance).

​Annika Kahrs — OFF SCORE

Annika Kahrs, one of the biggest new names in sound art, is presenting the most comprehensive selection of her work to date at the former Berlin train station, the Hamburger Bahnhof. Kahrs is known for her video installations featuring musicians performing in distinctive locations, such as a parade of a cross-generational orchestra in an Italian village.

🗓 Until 3.5.2026

📍Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin 🇩🇪

Link

Phillip Sollmann & Konrad Sprenger​ — MODULAR ORGAN

Berlin based duo Phillip Sollmann & Konrad Sprenger are turning a former glassworks into a resonating space using organ pipes, horns and wind machines, as a new iteration of their long running project Modular Organ System.

🗓 Until 25.1.2026

📍Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf 🇩🇪

Link

Ryoji Ikeda — data-cosm [nº1]

Commissioned by 180 Studios, Japanese media arts superstar Ryoji Ikeda has created a new monumental installation celebrating nature, from the microscopic scale of particle physics to the macroscopic scale of astrophysics. In his own words, the exhibition functions as a giant microscope.

🗓 Until 1.2.2026

📍180 Studios, London 🇬🇧

Link

Christian Marclay — The Clock

Christian Marclay’s The Clock is a 24-hour video installation that takes viewers on a journey through a century of cinematic history. One of the most iconic sound artworks of the 21st century (see my other article) is coming to one of Germany’s most iconic contemporary art spaces. Not to be missed.

🗓 Until 25.1.2026

📍Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin 🇩🇪

Link

Meriem Bennani — Sole Crushing

Spread across the floors of Lafayette Anticipations, a cultural centre in the heart of Paris, Moroccan artist Meriem Bennani’s sound installation Sole Crushing focuses on a quintessentially Moroccan item of clothing: the flip-flop. Inspired by the sounds of Moroccan protests, two hundred flip-flops tap out a rhythmic piece composed by Brussels-based producer Cheb Runner.

🗓 Until 8.2.2026

📍Lafayette Anticipations, Paris 🇫🇷

Link

Beyond Music #9

Beyond Music is a long-running series of sound performances at the STUK arts centre in Leuven, Belgium. The concept remains the same: four sound artists each give a 20-minute performance in a large space. This edition features American composer Marina Rosenfeld, who will perform a piece on a unique electro-acoustic piano, besides performances by Davide Tidoni, Diane Mahín and Maan Methven & Victor Goemaere.

🗓 15.1.2026

📍STUK, Leuven 🇧🇪

Link

CTM Exhibition: Echoes of Tumult

For over 25 years, the CTM Festival in Berlin has been pushing the boundaries of experimental sound. Besides their extensive 10-day live programme, it features an exhibition in collaboration with two artist communities: DAAD in Berlin and iii in The Hague. Titled Echoes of Tumult, the exhibition brings together works that explore themes of witnessing and processing violence and systemic failure. Personal favourites include Cathy van Eck and Ioana Vreme Moser.

🗓 24.1.2026 > 22.3.2026

📍Daadgalerie & Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin 🇩🇪

Link

Son.Oor

The Son.Oor festival, formerly known as Week van de Klank or La Semaine du Son, is a two-week, community-driven event that brings together concerts, exhibitions and workshops across three regions of Belgium: Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. I am particularly looking forward to the installations by Floris Vanhoof (a piano played by the cosmos), Maan Methven & Victor Goemaere (a multichannel vocal piece about mourning), and Maryia Kamarova (miniature beings made out of found objects).

🗓 26.1.2026 > 8.2.2026

📍Various cities & venues, Belgium 🇧🇪

Link

Sonic Acts Biennial

Sonic Acts is one of Europe’s largest festivals dedicated to sound art and experimental music. Taking place across multiple venues in Amsterdam, it runs for two months. The festival features exhibitions, a ‘listening room’, live performances, an acousmonium event, club nights, a symposium and workshops. Without a doubt, Sonic Acts is the most comprehensive sound art festival around.

🗓 5.2.2026 > 29.3.2026

📍Various venues, Amsterdam 🇳🇱

Link

PRÉSENCES électronique 2026

For the 21st time, the Parisian institute for electroacoustic music INA/GRM is inviting composers to create new pieces for its unique and world-renowned acousmonium. An acousmonium is an orchestra of loudspeakers, each with its own sonic and visual characteristics — a very French tradition. This edition’s composers include Aho San, Raven Chacon and Jana Winderen.

🗓 13.2.2026 > 15.2.2026

📍INA/GRM, Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, Paris 🇫🇷

Link

Sound Arguments

Sound Arguments originated as a collaboration between two academic institutes: the Orpheus Instituut in Ghent, Belgium, and the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. It is a laboratory-atelier for researchers and artists. With international guest speakers such as Jacob Eriksen, Cathy van Eck and Aleksander Kolkowski, participants at Sound Arguments will share, invent, listen, learn and discuss.

🗓 9.2.2026 > 20.5.2026

📍Orpheus Instituut, Ghent & University of Leiden, The Hague 🇧🇪🇳🇱

Link

Artefact Festival

The Artefact Festival is an exhibition and festival programme held at STUK in Leuven. Although the exhibition does not have a specific focus on sound art, it features sound works by Maika Garnica, Oliver Beer and Stefanie Egedy. The latter will present an immersive subwoofer experience. The live programme features a new performance by Mazen Kerbaj, the Belgian debut of improvisation quartet أحمد [Ahmed], a vocal intervention by the YouYou Group, and a sonic film by Aura Satz, to name but a few.

🗓 12.2.2026 > 1.3.2026

📍STUK, Leuven 🇧🇪

Link

P.S. If you know of any other sound art events happening, especially in regions with which I am less familiar (Eastern Europe and other continents), please let me know :-)

We’ve reached the end of our list of the 25 most iconic sound artworks of the 21st century (so far), so here are the last five. If you enjoyed this series, or if you have any feedback or suggestions for works that should have been included, please let me know. Enjoy :-)

21. Christopher Bauder & Robert Henke — Deep Web (2016)

Deep Web premiered at the 2016 CTM Festival in Berlin’s impressive former power station, Kraftwerk (which has nothing to do with the electro group of the same name). In this vast concrete space with a looooong echo, the audience was immersed in an interplay of Christopher Bauder’s kinetic light design, which included hundreds of motor-controlled spheres, and an audio composition by Robert Henke (known for Monolake, Ableton Live). It is one of the most monumental audiovisual works of the last decade. As far as I know, however, there are no future presentations planned.

Video

22. Kaffe Matthews — Sonic Bikes (since 2008)

Sonic Bikes is an ongoing project by British sound artist Kaffe Matthews that turns bicycles into musical instruments on wheels. Equipped with speakers, GPS and custom software, the bikes generate sound that changes depending on the cyclist’s location and speed. Music fragments are mapped to specific locations and zones along a road, across a park or over an entire city or hillside, enabling cyclists to take multiple routes and experience endless compositions. Making music by riding a bike - fun!

Video

23. Edwin van der Heide — Pneumatic Sound Field (2006)

Sound arises from variations in air pressure. Instead of using a loudspeaker membrane, Edwin van der Heide’s classic open air work Pneumatic Sound Field creates these pressure changes with precisely timed bursts of compressed air. In this installation, 42 air valves mounted overhead release sharp hissing pulses that move through space, forming shifting rhythms. I can’t think of a more physical, brain melting sonic experience.

Video

24. Liam Curtin & John Gooding — Blackpool High Tide Organ (2002-2021)

The Blackpool High Tide Organ was a tidal-powered sound sculpture in Blackpool, created by Liam Curtin and John Gooding. Integrated into the promenade, it used a series of pipes connected to the sea wall that produced deep, shifting tones as waves pushed air through them. The installation transformed the natural motion of the tides into slow, evolving sound hums. After years of limited maintenance, the work was dismantled in 2021 due to safety concerns.

Video

25. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — clinamen (since 2012)

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, a French artist, is the only artist to appear twice on this list (we saw From Here to Ear in the first post). But the next piece is truly iconic: clinamen. Its presentation at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris in summer 2025 was an true Instagram art hit. The concept is simple: floating white porcelain bowls slowly circulate in a pool, moved by a hidden pump, and collide with each other thus producing a mesmerizing soundscape. The work invites viewers to listen, gaze, meditate and be present in the here and now.

Video

The full list:

1. Janet Cardiff — The Forty Part Motet (2001)

2. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — From Here To Ear (1999-…)

3. Christian Marclay — The Clock (2010)

4. Christina Kubisch — Electrical Walks (since 2003)

5. Mike Tonkin & Anna Liu — Singing Ringing Tree (2006)

6. Samson Young — Nocturne (2015)

7. Susan Philipsz — Lowlands (2010)

8. Maia Urstad — Sound Barrier (since 2004)

9. Christine Sun Kim— The Sound of Temperature Rising (2019)

10. Nikola Bašić — Zadar Sea Organ (2006)

11. Félix Blume — Essaim / Swarm (2021)

12. Emeka Ogboh — Ámà: The Gathering Place (2019)

13. Ragnar Kjartansson — The Visitors (2012)

14. Ryoji Ikeda— test patterns (since 2008)

15. Akio Suzuki — oto-date (since 1996)

16. Marco Fusinato — Desastres (2022)

17. Massimo Bartolini, Kali Malone & Caterina Barbieri — Due qui / To Hear (2024)

18. Staalplaat — Composed Nature (2012)

19. Bill Fontana— Harmonic Bridge (2006)

20. Tristan Perich — Microtonal Wall (2011)

21. Christopher Bauder & Robert Henke — Deep Web (2016)

22. Kaffe Matthews — Sonic Bikes (since 2008)

23. Edwin van der Heide — Pneumatic Sound Field (2006)

24. Liam Curtin & John Gooding — Blackpool High Tide Organ (2002-2021)

25. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — clinamen (since 2012)

Neutral Switzerland has a strong tradition of visual and sound art. It is the birthplace of two important pioneers in the genre: Jean Tinguely (1925–1991) and Christian Marclay (born 1955). Both artists introduced sound to the world of museums and visual arts: Tinguely experimented with movement (and therefore sound) in sculpture, while Marclay cut up music, films and records into samples, which became the basis for ‘turntablism’.

Today, Switzerland is home to Zimoun, one of the world’s most famous and Instagram-worthy sound artists.

New festivals at unique venues

In addition to being a breeding ground for artists, Switzerland has recently seen the emergence of several large-scale festivals centred around sound art: These include Klang Moor Schopfe in the German-speaking region, Biennale Son in the beautiful Valais region, and KorSonoR in the impressive lake-city of Geneva.

All tree are non-traditional exhibitions with works spread over (heritage) sites in a city, village or rural area, open for the audience to explore. Klang Moor Schopfe, for instance, invites you to walk from one wooden barn to another in the Alpine meadows, each housing a site specific sound art installation.

A sound trail in the Alps

These new festivals join established initiatives such as the open-air museum Klangwelt Toggenburg, the Archipel Festival and Cave12, both in Geneva.

Klangwelt Toggenburg is particularly worth checking out: together with Klankenbos in Belgium, it is the largest collection of outdoor sound art in Europe. Located in the foothills of the Eastern Swiss Alps, the ‘Klangwelt’ (‘sound world’) offers a sound house, a sound blacksmith, a resonance centre and even a sound hiking trail with works by Marco Barotti, Mélia Roger or Peter Ablinger.

Why does sound art flourishes in Switzerland?

But why is it that sound art is doing so well in Switzerland? There are several possible reasons for this:

• Switzerland has a robust system of public and private funding, including Pro Helvetia, world famous museums and wealthy private collectors.

• Located on the crossroads of Europe, it offers easy access to the scenes of larger countries with the same language, such as Germany, France and Italy.

• The unique geography of Switzerland, particularly the Alps, provides a rich context for artists to explore themes like climate change, silence and the open air.

• Higher education institutions, such as the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB) and EDHEA (in Valais) have dedicated sound art programs.

Between vineyards and mountain views

OK, I promised you a short report on my visit to Biennale Son and KorSonoR :-)

It wasn’t my first time visiting Biennale Son in Sion. Two years ago, I was there when the festival was organised for the first time in the beautiful Valais region. The surroundings alone are reason enough to travel to this place: castles and churches stand out against the backdrop of autumnal vineyards and dramatic mountain views. In this setting, Biennale Son displays an enormous amount of artworks in special locations in Sion, Martigny and throughout the region.

To be honest, there is far too much to see in a single day. I only had three hours, so I feel that I was only able to visit a fraction of it. One of the central locations is a huge historic hydroelectric power station (‘Centrale’). The eye-catcher here is a work by Philippe Quesne in which buffet pianos, some damaged, are stacked in a sculpture and emit acoustic and recorded sounds. The work has a very theatrical approach.

A recurring problem in exhibiting sound art is the overlapping of sound from works located in the same space. Biennale Son occasionally plays with this by contrasting different works with each other, but sometimes this means that fragile works such as Lara Dâmaso’s are overshadowed. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful piece in which a minimalist vocal composition is brought to life through parts of a drum kit.

After my visit to the Centrale, I walked all the way up the town of Sion to a former prison. There, a new video work by German artist Annika Kahrs was on display, combining classical composition with video art and aspects of sound art like no other.

From Marina Rosenfeld to Max Neuhaus

After a beautiful train journey past mountains and the enormous Lake Geneva, I arrived in Geneva, where the KorSonoR festival – organised by Arta Asperto – kicked off with a performance by the great Marina Rosenfeld. The American composer not only presented a new work for video and sound, but also performed on a “transacoustic” piano. This is a classic upright piano that can be used to play digital sounds, which in turn resonate through the piano’s sound box. Rosenfeld cleverly misleads us by playing with the expectations and cliches of a piano concert.

Another artist on the programme was James Webb (not the telescope!), a South African, Stockholm based conceptual artist who “asks personal questions to objects”. In this case: of a wooden Celtic statue and of Lac Leman. The ‘dead’ objects are brought to life by zooming in on their personal history and identity of the thing.

Did you know that Geneva is also home to a permanent sound installation by the late Max Neuhaus (1939–2009)? In 2002, the American sound pioneer created a very subtle piece for attentive passers-by in a public park, which can still be heard today. It has a similar approach to his iconic work Times Square.

Welcome back to my series on the most iconic sound artworks of this century. This time, we’ll dive into two landmark pieces created for the Venice Biennale, explore two public installations and end with a monumental wall of speakers.

16. Marco Fusinato — Desastres (2022)

An enormous video screen, a wall of amplifiers, and a noise guitarist — Desastres by Australian artist Marco Fusinato stands out as one of the most bombastic and intense sound works of the past 25 years. Referencing Francisco de Goya’s series The Disasters of War, the work delves into contemporary themes such as chaos and conflict. During the 2022 Venice Biennale, Fusinato performed for 200 consecutive days!

Video

17. Massimo Bartolini with Kali Malone & Caterina Barbieri — Due qui / To Hear (2024)

Another large-scale sound work created for the Venice Biennale: for the 2024 Italian Pavilion, artist Massimo Bartolini was commissioned to produce a new piece. He invited superstar ambient composers Kali Malone and Caterina Barbieri to collaborate on an architectural sculpture centered around a pipe organ — an instrument for which Malone is renowned. The audience is invited to walk through the scaffolding installation while being immersed in soothing organ harmonies.

Video

18. Staalplaat — Composed Nature (2012)

Deep in the Belgian forests lies Klankenbos (“Sound Forest” in Dutch), a permanent sound art collection. Among the twenty open-air sound artworks — all freely accessible 24/7 — is a group of birch trees created by the experimental label and collective Staalplaat. What makes this piece unique is that the trees are ‘shaken’ by small engines, producing the sound of wind rustling through the leaves. Visitors can choose a type of wind via their smartphone, such as a gentle breeze or the powerful mistral.

Video

19. Bill Fontana— Harmonic Bridge (2006)

One of the best-known public sound artworks of all time is Harmonic Bridge by American artist Bill Fontana. Created for the Millennium Bridge in front of Tate Modern in London, the piece transforms the iconic postmodern pedestrian bridge into a musical instrument. Fontana uses live audio from the vibrations of the bridge’s structure, captured with sensitive microphones and transmitted in real time through speakers installed in the vast Turbine Hall.

Video

20. Tristan Perich — Microtonal Wall (2011)

New York minimalist composer Tristan Perich is known for his use of simple 1-bit digital sounds, often combined with acoustic instruments. For his wall installation Microtonal Wall, created for MoMA in New York, Perich used over 1,500 tiny speakers, each playing a single 1-bit frequency. Together, these frequencies form a dissonant, microtonal ‘wall’ of sound in which the individual tones are no longer distinguishable.

Video

The list:

1. Janet Cardiff — The Forty Part Motet (2001)

2. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — From Here To Ear (1999-…)

3. Christian Marclay — The Clock (2010)

4. Christina Kubisch — Electrical Walks (since 2003)

5. Mike Tonkin & Anna Liu — Singing Ringing Tree (2006)

6. Samson Young — Nocturne (2015)

7. Susan Philipsz — Lowlands (2010)

8. Maia Urstad — Sound Barrier (since 2004)

9. Christine Sun Kim— The Sound of Temperature Rising (2019)

10. Nikola Bašić — Zadar Sea Organ (2006)

11. Félix Blume — Essaim / Swarm (2021)

12. Emeka Ogboh — Ámà: The Gathering Place (2019)

13. Ragnar Kjartansson — The Visitors (2012)

14. Ryoji Ikeda— test patterns (since 2008)

15. Akio Suzuki — oto-date (since 1996)

16. Marco Fusinato — Desastres (2022)

17. Massimo Bartolini, Kali Malone & Caterina Barbieri — Due qui / To Hear (2024)

18. Staalplaat — Composed Nature (2012)

19. Bill Fontana— Harmonic Bridge (2006)

20. Tristan Perich — Microtonal Wall (2011)

…

Stay tuned for 21-25 next month!

Now that the days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping, it’s the perfect time to bring a cozy visit to a museum or gallery and enjoy solo and group exhibitions by sound artists. However, sound artworks can also still be enjoyed in public spaces and nature, providing the perfect accompaniment to a crispy autumn walk. Join me as I take you on a tour of fifteen sound art excursions across Western Europe, spanning Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and Great Britain.

The Listening Biennial

Curated by sound philosopher Brandon LaBelle, The Listening Biennial is an ambitious and worldwide festival with exhibitions, events and workshops taking place across 25 locations (from Buenos Aires to Taipei) over two-months.

🗓 21/08/2025 - 26/10/2025

📍Worldwide + online 🌍

Link

KIKK Festival

Spread over Wallonia’s historic capital town Namur, KIKK festival offers an ‘art trail’ with sound and media installations by Zimoun (picture), Els Viaene or Oussama Tabti at historic locations and contemporary art venues.

🗓 23/10/2025 - 25/10/2025

📍Namur, Belgium 🇧🇪

Link

Showcase Emerging Sound

Each year, STUK, Q-O2, Musica and C-TAKT present the next generation of Belgian sound artists, selected via an open call. This one night event will see two installations by Melissa Ryke and Linus Bonduelle, and two performance by Sonology-students Cis De Gendt and Jacob Eckhardt.

🗓 20/11/2025

📍STUK, Leuven, Belgium 🇧🇪

Link

Marina Rosenfeld — Negative

New York sound artist Marina Rosenfeld will be presenting a new site-specific video work in gallery Winona. Shot on microscopic and semi-microscopic scale on a single dub plate, the video follows the stylus as it moves through the abstracted grooves of the plate. Accompanying the show, a limited edition dub plate will be released in collaboration with the Belgian label Futura Resistenza.

🗓 4/10/2025 - 26/10/2025

📍Winona, Brussels, Belgium 🇧🇪

Link

Phillip Sollmann & Konrad Sprenger — Modular Organ

Berlin based duo Phillip Sollmann & Konrad Sprenger will create a new version of their long running project Modular Organ in a former glassworks in the industrial city of Düsseldorf. Using pipes and wind instruments, they turn the building into a resonating space. A truly physical experience.

🗓 18/10/2025 - 25/01/2026

📍Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf, Germany 🇩🇪

Link

Yuko Mohri — Entanglements

Known for her work for the Japanese pavilion during last Venice Bienniale, Japanese sound artist Yuko Mohri comes back to Europe for her largest European solo exhibition so far. Inspired by Marcel Duchamp, Mohri creates site-specific kinetic sculptures that incorporate found items, as well as reworked musical instruments connected to electronic circuits. During the opening night, she performed together with Jim O’Rourke and Eiko Ishibashi.

🗓 18/09/2025 - 11/01/2026

📍Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, Italy 🇮🇹

Link

Biennale Musica: Maxime Denuc — Elevations

At the Biennale Musica in Venecie, French-Belgian minimal composer Maxime Denuc presents the Italian premiere of Elevations, an installation that incorporates the inspiration of the dub techno aesthetic into the fragile ephemeral sound of an organ controlled by computer via MIDI specifically created by the artist with the iconic Belgian organ-maker Tony Decap.

🗓 11/10/2025 - 25/10/2025

📍Venezia, Italy 🇮🇹

Link

Klangwelt​ Toggenburg

My head was blown when I recently discovered this place in Switzerland. Klangwelt Toggenburg is a large scale and well funded mecca for sound culture located in the foothills of the Eastern Swiss Alps. Inspired by the traditional singing and music culture of the region, the ‘Klangwelt’ (‘sound world’) now offers a sound house, a sound blacksmith, a resonance centre and even a sound hiking trail with works by Marco Barotti, Mélia Roger or Peter Ablinger.

🗓 Permanent

📍Wildhaus-Alt St Johann, Switzerland 🇨🇭

Link

Biennale Son

Every two years, the picturesque wine valley of Sion in French-speaking Switzerland becomes the setting for a large-scale sound art exhibition. The exhibition features newly commissioned sound works in public spaces and heritage locations, such as castles and an impressive old water power factory. The list of artists announced for this second edition is impressive: Pierre Berthet, Carsten Nicolai, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Tomoko Sauvage and Annika Kahrs, to name a few.

🗓 30/08/2025 - 30/11/2025

📍Sion & Valais region, Switzerland, country 🇨🇭

Link

KorSonoR

KorSonoR is a biennial exhibition and festival held in the peaceful lake town of Geneva. After two preludes in August, the centrepiece is an exhibition and festival starting in October featuring works by Marina Rosenfeld, Dimitri de Perrot and James Webb. It explores the border between sound, visual arts and performance.

🗓 22/10/2025 - 16/11/2025

📍Le Commun & diverse locations, Genève, Switzerland 🇨🇭

Link

Interstices

In the Normandic castle town of Caen, there’s a two week festival called Interstices that is focusing on media and technology based sound arts. Similar to KIKK in Namur, the festival offers an art trail along multidisciplinary works by (mainly French speaking) artists such as Julien Poivedin and Porz An Park, and performances by Antoine De Schuyter and Myriam Bleau.

🗓 4/12/2025 - 21/12/2025

📍Diverse locations, Caen, France 🇫🇷

Link

Nika Schmitt — Stille Laute

Luxemburgish sound sculptor Nika Schmitt has created a public sound work for a metro station in the former West-German capital Bonn. The title Stille Laute means 'silent noise’ and refers to the fact that it’s at the same time very present but also almost imperceptible at times. Two towers consist of megaphones that are slowly moving and throwing noises into the environment. Visually it really connects well to the round mid-century U-Bahn pavillion where it stands.

🗓 5/09/2025 - 30/11/2025

📍U-Bahn-Station Universität/Markt, Bonn, Germany 🇩🇪

Link

Hamburger Bahnhof: Annika Kahrs —OFF SCORE

Berlin-based artist Annika Kahrs presents the most comprehensive selection of her works to date at Hamburger Bahnhof, exploring the intersection of art and music. Kahrs investigates the cultural and social functions of music: in an abandoned church in Lyon, at the parade of a cross-generational orchestra in an Italian village or in Berlin department stores.

🗓 14/11/2025 - 3/05/2026

📍Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪

Link

O Museu como Performance

Fantastic two day performance programme in the contemporary arts centre of Serralves in the marvelous city of Porto. Focusing on the intersection between dance, visual arts and music, this festival presents performance in the open museum space (O Museu como Performance means the ‘museum as performance’). Featured artists are Merche Blasco, Mour Mobarak, Andreas Trobollowitsch and Nkisi.

🗓 18 & 19/10/2025

📍Fundação de Serralves, Porto, Portugal 🇩🇪

Link

Hannan Jones & Shamica Ruddock

For the first time, artists Hannan Jones and Shamica Ruddock bring their sound-based practice into sculptural form. Metal shaped nearby in Bermondsey, wood from Cambridgeshire, and ethically sourced hide and dyes from Dartmoor, are combined with Jarrah wood from Australia and Mahogany from the Caribbean to create a new sonic language drawn from contexts that are significant to the artists.

🗓 2/10/2025 - 18/01/2026

📍Forma, London, UK 🇬🇧

Link

P.S. If you know of any other sound art events happening, especially in regions with which I am less familiar (Eastern Europe and other continents), please let me know :-)

Preface

De Brakke Grond, the Flemish cultural centre in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), asked me to write an essay on the current state of sound art in Belgium from the perspective of a Dutch reader. In this article, I briefly explore the history of the discipline in Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia and Ostbelgien. I then provide an overview of the current Belgian sound art landscape, before concluding with six challenges for the future.

You can download and read the original Dutch article (with pictures) at the website of De Brakke Grond here

Please note that the text below is an English translation of a Dutch text done by the AI translator Deepl. If you find any typo, do let me know please.

Sound art in Belgium: From artistic fringe phenomenon to established discipline

Twenty years ago, in 2005, De Brakke Grond published an article on sound art, which was at that time an emerging and relatively unknown discipline. In this article, Brussels composer Guy De Bièvre wrote: ‘Despite everything, sound art remains a marginal phenomenon in the artistic world.’ Today, twenty years later, Belgium has a rich soundscape with many funded institutions and DIY organizations, a vibrant artist scene and festivals that reach a wide audience. But what exactly is sound art? How did it originate in Belgium and become the scene it is today? In 2025, there are significant challenges ahead, but there are also opportunities to strengthen the historical ties within the Low Countries.

Between music and visual art

The question of how to define sound art is a classic one and still leads to debate. In the strict sense, sound art refers to a sculpture or installation that produces sound and is exhibited like a visual work of art, allowing visitors to move around freely. The main difference with music is that a musical composition is based on “time” (with a beginning and an end) and sound art is based on “space” (in relation to a place). In practice, however, music, visual art and sound art overlap. In fact, there is no such thing as “the sound artist”. Many so-called sound artists do not identify with the term at all.

How it began: Expo 58 and John Cage in Leuven

Two events can serve as symbolic starting points for Belgian sound art. One famous example is the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, designed by architects Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis. In this ultra-modern pavilion, visitors were immersed in electroacoustic compositions by Xenakis and Edgar Varèse. Futuristic sounds whizzed through the building via a spatialisation system comprising some 400 (!) loudspeakers. Such a combination of architecture and sound was unprecedented and would have a major influence on post-war composers.

A second symbolic starting point took place in Leuven in 1969. Composer and organiser Baudouin Oosterlynck invited the influential American experimentalist John Cage to give a concert in Vesaliusstraat. As a composer of chance and everyday sounds, Cage is considered one of the philosophical founders of sound art. Cage’s influence on the European avant-garde was enormous, as was his influence on Oosterlynck himself when, in the mid-1970s, he became one of the first Belgians to create real sound installations and performances. During the same period, Dick Raaijmakers created his series Ideofoons in the Netherlands, which are considered to be among the first sound sculptures.

Composers become sound artists

Since the 1960s, the history of Belgian sound art has been a quest by contemporary and electroacoustic composers to find ways of connecting sound with spatiality and other media. One by one, they established new structures to enable their experiments. In Ghent, the IPEM (Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music) was founded in the 1960s, where composers began working with tapes and room-sized synthesizers. A few years later, the Logos Foundation followed, the rebellious organization of Moniek Darge and Godfried Willem Raes, who became famous for their automatic “robot orchestra”. Antwerp followed suit with the establishment of the Studio for Experimental Music (SEM) by Joris De Laet, and Champ d’Action under the direction of Serge Verstockt.

In French-speaking Belgium, Henri Pousseur and Annette Vande Gorne were at the cradle of the Centre Henri Pousseur in Liège and the Espace du Son in Brussels, respectively, with the first Belgian ‘acousmonium’ à la Française. During those years, international heavyweights such as Phill Niblock and Charlemagne Palestine also settled in Belgium. A little further away, in Eindhoven, Dutch pioneer Paul Panhuysen founded Het Apollohuis. In Maastricht, Christina Kubisch started teaching at the Jan van Eyck Academy. Things were happening in the Low Countries.

The first collections and festivals: Klankenbos and Happy New Ears

However, it was not until the 1990s and especially 2000 that a genuine Belgian sound art scene emerged. Initially, French-speaking Belgium was a pioneer, with artists such as Oosterlynck, Charo Calvo and Pierre Berthet. The latter in particular built an impressive international career. In 2005, Berthet created one of the first sound sculptures for Klankenbos, a collection of sound art in the forests of Limburg. Klankenbos is unique in Europe as a free and permanent open-air museum for “sound art”. Today, twenty years later, the collection faces major challenges in terms of conservation and renewal.

In addition to Klankenbos, a second project is of crucial importance for the development of Flemish sound art: Happy New Ears (later Klinkende Stad). This annual city festival at various locations in Kortrijk, West Flanders, was founded in 1996 by curator Joost Fonteyne and was the prelude to a long series of urban parcours festivals: City Sonic (Mons), KIKK Festival (Namur), Tuned City (Brussels), OORtreders (Pelt), Meakusma (Eupen) and, finally, Hear Here (Leuven). With more than 20,000 visitors, Hear Here, organized by STUK, proves that in 2025 the general public is also ready for sound art. Like STUK, Concertgebouw Brugge also aspires to broaden support for the genre by targeting young and old alike and making connections with classical music and heritage.

Towards a rich ecosystem of artists and organisations

Today, Belgium boasts a rich soundscape, with cosmopolitan Brussels as its driving force and centre of attraction. Over the past two decades, a series of small-scale but crucial organizations have emerged there, such as Les Ateliers Claus, BNA-BBOT, OKNO, iMAL and, above all, Overtoon and Q-O2. While Overtoon, founded in 2013 by artists Christoph De Boeck and Aernoudt Jacobs, focused on producing audiovisual sound sculptures, Q-O2 (led by violist Julia Eckhardt) functions primarily as a residence and reflection space for experimental music. Their festival Oscillation is now a leading event in the European field.

In the wake of these new festivals and organizations, a whole generation of Flemish sound artists came into being: Stijn Demeulenaere, Jeroen Vandesande, Floris Vanhoof, Els Viaene, Jeroen Uyttendaele, Gert Aertsen, Bram Vreven, David Helbich, Aurélie Lierman Nyirabikali, Myriam Van Imschoot. The fact that these creators come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from radio to performing arts and from music to media art, shows how hybrid the field is to this day.

Six challenges for the future

Today, Belgian sound art faces several significant challenges:

1. There is no real training in sound art. Following the discontinuation of EPAS (European Postgraduate in Arts in Sound), there are currently only master’s programmes that deal with sound indirectly, including at RITCS and LUCA. The lack of training has the advantage that the field remains very diverse and hybrid, but the disadvantage is that technical and theoretical know-how is often limited.

2. Sound artists should be careful with clichés. Much sound art revolves around universal acoustic phenomena, such as sine tones, noise and reverberation, and makes use of multichannel loudspeaker spatialisation or kinetic sculptures. Although this can certainly produce interesting art, there is a need for a better knowledge of the history of sound art and a more diverse scene, so that excessive repetition is avoided and other types of sound art are encouraged that are more sensitive to social issues.

3. There is little general knowledge about the history of sound art, its pioneers, key works, historical developments, tried and tested techniques and concepts. The historical canon of the Low Countries still needs to be partly formed and, above all, taught. Are we sufficiently familiar with the work of Oosterlynck, Raaijmakers, Panhuysen, Hess, Van Koolwijk, Darge and Raes? Despite its shortcomings, canon formation can lead to a more deeply rooted practice in the present.

4. At present, the scene is not diverse enough, certainly in Flanders. FINTA creators or creators with a migrant background seem to be less represented than white men. In Brussels, however, a catch-up movement is underway, with an influx of artists from Southern and Eastern Europe and beyond: Maria Komarova, Vica Pacheco, Oussama Tabti, Mika Oki, Yann Leguay, Franziska Windisch, to name but a few. It is the curator’s task to offer opportunities to diverse creators.

   

5. Museums are lagging behind in producing and exhibiting sound art. For the time being, the music sector remains the driving force. Sound is rarely featured in major Belgian museums, with the exception of sporadic solo exhibitions such as Tarek Atoui at SMAK. This is not only due to a lack of interest, but also to a lack of knowledge about the technical aspects of sound. Internationally, we do see prestigious institutions such as Haus der Kunst, Hamburger Bahnhof, ZKM and The Barbican strongly committed to sound.

6. Finally, ongoing efforts are needed to maintain and strengthen the historical connection between Belgium and its neighbouring countries. While French-speaking Belgium looks to France, the Flemish scene is closely linked to that of the Netherlands. This manifests itself in various ways: Flemish students flock to Sonology in The Hague to study sonology, many works in Klankenbos are by Dutch artists, the magazine Gonzo (circus) has been active throughout the Dutch-speaking region since 1991, Flemish and Dutch organisations regularly collaborate on co-productions, and in Amsterdam, De Brakke Grond focuses on showcasing Flemish productions. Nevertheless, international cooperation is under pressure today, partly due to protectionism and budgetary constraints. In order to strengthen the bond between Flanders and the Netherlands, five organisations (STUK, FIBER, De Brakke Grond, Dutch Culture and Kunstenpunt) founded Neighbouring Frequencies in 2024. This network aims to connect the two scenes and stimulate exchange. The first edition took place in 2024 in Amsterdam as part of the FIBER Festival, the second edition in 2025 in Leuven as part of Hear Here.

Gilles Helsen

Curator STUK & Hear Here

Blogger for Billie’s Ear

I’m back with another selection of iconic sound artworks created since the turn of the millennium. Check out the first post and second post in this series which rank the 25 most influential sound works of the century so far.

11. Félix Blume — Essaim / Swarm (2021)

Félix Blume is a French artist who lives and works in Mexico as Francis Alÿs’ sound assistant. In his frequently exhibited sound installation, Essaim/Swarm, Blume uses 250 small speakers hanging from the ceiling to capture the sound of a bee swarm. Each speaker reproduces the sound of a single flying bee. Visitors are invited to approach these little bees and become part of the swarm. Both poetic and ecological, the installation encourages us to experience nature with deep attention.

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12. Emeka Ogboh — Ámà: The Gathering Place (2019)

The work of Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh, titled Ámà: The Gathering Place, features a monumental baobab sculpture, seating elements, and a multichannel choir piece. Inspired by the Igbo concept of a central meeting space, it reflects on themes of community, migration, and identity. Blending voices, music and ambient sounds recorded in Nigeria’s largest city Lagos, the piece reflects on themes of community, migration and identity.

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13. Ragnar Kjartansson — The Visitors (2012)

The Visitors is a nine-channel video installation by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson. We see a group of musicians performing a melancholic folk song with acoustic instruments in different rooms of a dilapidated mansion. The piece takes the listener on a deeply moving journey, exploring themes like friendship, intimacy and the joy of playing together in a quiet countryside setting.

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14. Ryoji Ikeda— test patterns (since 2008)

Ryoji Ikeda, a Japanese trailblazer of digital media arts, is widely known for his highly technological and immersive audiovisual works. In his test pattern series, he transforms data into a massive, hypnotic experience of sound and light. Rapid sequences of black-and-white patterns pulse in sync with high-frequency electronic sounds, pushing the limits of our perception as visitors walk on top of the artwork. The piece visualises invisible information flows, turning pure data into sensory overload.

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15. Akio Suzuki — oto-date (since 1996)

oto-date is a concept by Japanese sound art pioneer Akio Suzuki. He marks ‘listening points’ on the ground in specific locations in cities or landscapes and invites people to stand on them and listen to their surroundings. This encourages them to pause and focus on the subtle sounds that are often overlooked. It’s a simple yet effective and mindful idea.

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The list:

1. Janet Cardiff — The Forty Part Motet (2001)

2. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — From Here To Ear (1999-…)

3. Christian Marclay — The Clock (2010)

4. Christina Kubisch — Electrical Walks (since 2003)

5. Mike Tonkin & Anna Liu — Singing Ringing Tree (2006)

6. Samson Young — Nocturne (2015)

7. Susan Philipsz — Lowlands (2010)

8. Maia Urstad — Sound Barrier (since 2004)

9. Christine Sun Kim— The Sound of Temperature Rising (2019)

10. Nikola Bašić — Zadar Sea Organ (2006)

11. Félix Blume — Essaim / Swarm (2021)

12. Emeka Ogboh — Ámà: The Gathering Place (2019)

13. Ragnar Kjartansson — The Visitors (2012)

14. Ryoji Ikeda— test patterns (since 2008)

15. Akio Suzuki — oto-date (since 1996)

…

Stay tuned for 16-20 next month!

In a previous post, I mentioned that many sound art festivals take place in remote forests and villages. This summer, my interest in sound art took me to a fjord near Oslo, the Swiss Alps and a small village in northern Jutland, Denmark, called Struer.

But why is there a sound art festival happening in Struer and not in Copenhagen, Aalborg or Aarhus? Well, two words: Bang & Olufson.

Bang & Olufsen: iconic Danish audio design

Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is a company founded in 1925 that is renowned for its high-end audio products and televisions, which combine classic design with state-of-the-art technology. Some of their sound systems are absolutely iconic. It's no wonder that it's one of Denmark's national treasures.

Struer, the birthplace of B&O, has become synonymous with the factory, which is still located very close to the city centre. Today, 8,000 people, or one third of the population, still work in the factory.

An innovation hub for sound

Building upon this legacy, the city has opened Sound Hub Denmark, an innovation hub that supports start-ups, researchers and companies working in audio, acoustics and sound design.

One of the highlights is a large test room for loudspeakers, where I had the honour of experiencing some concerts during my stay (see below).

Sound installations and performances across the town

But the real reason I was there was a festival called Struer Tracks. Organised by Sound Art Lab (another sound-focused organisation in Struer) since 2017, the festival is a 'biennial for sound and listening'. It takes place in all kinds of public and private spaces in Struer, ranging from the port and a youth club to a yacht canteen and a former toy store.

It is heartwarming to see a relatively small group of sound enthusiasts come together for three days to listen, eat, drink and perform communally.

Here are my five highlights of Struer 2025:

• A concert double bill in that world class loudspeaker test room at the Sound Hub, called ‘The Cube This might be my only chance to experience a concert in such an acoustically special room. I really enjoyed the performance by Diane Barbé, a Pyrenees-based sound artist who combines real bird and nature recordings with synthetic sound sources in an organic and rustic way.

• There was an installation with subwoofers in the port. I was blown away by the low frequencies of Brazilian-born, Berlin-based artist Stefanie Egedy. In her B.A.S. (Bodies and Subwoofers) series, she explores the impact of bass on our bodies.

• A very cute kinetic installation by Brussels-based artists Kunrad & Marya Kamarova. After conducting field research on the shores of Struer, they collected small hollow stones and other natural elements to create a piece of art based on tiny little sounds, silence and chance.

• Three guitarists playing minimalist patterns while overlooking the yacht port. It’s a project by the Danish musician Snöleoparden. The cool thing is that they are positioned hundreds of metres apart, so the spatial effect above the water is incredible, and the delay in the sound caused by the distance creates interesting polyrhythms.

• An installation featuring organ pipes and inflatables in an old bank office. Fascinated by the monumental sound of church organs, Belgian sound artist Anouk Kellners created a ‘deconstructed organ’ called Airchoir based on second-hand church pipes and self made textile wind bags. It was funny and uncanny that the objects were positioned in a 90s-style office building that was actually a bit too small :-)

The next edition of Struer Tracks will happen in the summer of 2027.

Meanwhile, you can visit the Bang & Olufsen collection of the Struer Museum.

Sound Art Lab in Struer is even founding a ‘sound art school’ these days, starting in March 2026. Check out their website: https://89sound.art/

In my previous post, I introduced my new series showcasing iconic sound artworks from the 21st century.

The first five featured works by Janet Cardiff, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Christian Marclay, Christina Kubisch and Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu.

Now, we will look at the next five masterpieces. Are you ready to dive into the contemporary canon of sound art?

6. Samson Young — Nocturne (2015)

In his spatial museum performance Nocturne, Hongkongian artist Samson Young recreates the sounds of nighttime airstrikes using toys, voice, and everyday objects. Instead of real recordings of actual bombings, he builds soundscapes based on news reports and military briefings. The work explores how war is mediated and distanced from reality. By using innocent materials to mimic violence, Young highlights the disconnection between the experience of war and its portrayal in the media.

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7. Susan Philipsz — Lowlands (2010)

In 2010, Scottish artist Susan Philipsz made history by becoming the first artist to win the prestigious Turner Prize for a sound artwork: Lowlands. As is often the case in her work, Philipsz sings a Scottish folk song in her own untrained voice. In this piece, she sings 'Lowlands Away', which is played through speakers in public spaces under a massive bridge in Glasgow. Her a cappella voice blends with the environment, evoking themes of memory, loss and absence.

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8. Maia Urstad — Sound Barrier (since 2004)

In Sound Barrier, the Norwegian artist Maia Urstad creates a wall of 150 portable CD and cassette radios. Using outdated sound techniques such as Morse code, radio static and transmission signals, the installation reflects on the way we used to communicate and the gradual disappearance of these technologies. The piece is a blend of noise and nostalgia, prompting reflection on the things we are losing as we transition to a more digital world.

More information

9. Christine Sun Kim— The Sound of Temperature Rising (2019)

As a deaf artist, Christine Sun Kim is known for her use of musical notation, written language and American Sign Language in relation to sound and the body. In The Sound of Temperature Rising, she explores how sound and climate change intersect from a deaf perspective. Using visual scores and sound vibrations, she imagines what global warming might “sound” like beyond hearing. The work challenges how we experience sound and draws attention to the invisible but growing tension of a warming planet.

Video

10. Nikola Bašić — Zadar Sea Organ (2006)

Designed by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić, the famous Zadar Sea Organ is a monumental music instrument built into the steps along the Adriatic coast in Zadar. Using the movement of sea waves, it creates melodic sounds through underwater pipes, turning natural forces into music. This popular tourist attraction offers inhabitants and tourists a peaceful sound experience while they gaze at the deep blue Adriatic Sea.

Video

The list:

1. Janet Cardiff — The Forty Part Motet (2001)

2. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — From Here To Ear (1999-…)

3. Christian Marclay — The Clock (2010)

4. Christina Kubisch — Electrical Walks (since 2003)

5. Mike Tonkin & Anna Liu — Singing Ringing Tree (2006)

6. Samson Young — Nocturne (2015)

7. Susan Philipsz — Lowlands (2010)

8. Maia Urstad — Sound Barrier (since 2004)

9. Christine Sun Kim— The Sound of Temperature Rising (2019)

10. Nikola Bašić — Zadar Sea Organ (2006)

…

Stay tuned for 11-15 next week!

However, it was not until the turn of the millennium that it really took off, worldwide, with major retrospective exhibitions in leading museums, attracting large crowds and receiving academic and press attention.

But what are the most influential and best-known sound art masterpieces of the 21st century? In the coming weeks, I will be presenting a list (in random order) of what I consider the 25 strongest contenders. This is not an objective or consensus based list, but a subjective list based on my own experience and knowledge.

1. Janet Cardiff — The Forty Part Motet (2001)

Forty loudspeakers, each with a separate singing voice. The piece of music you can hear is Spem in alium by the English Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis, dating from 1570. However, it is the spatial twist that Canadian artist Janet Cardiff gives to the piece that makes The Forty Part Motet so iconic. By positioning the speakers in a circle, visitors can experience the polyphonic vocal splendour physically and intimately as they walk around.

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2. Céleste Boursier Mougenot — From Here To Ear (1999-…)

In From Here to Ear, French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has created a sound installation featuring live zebra finches flying freely amongst electrically amplified, tuned guitars. When the birds land on the strings - and eat :-) - random musical sounds are created. This piece connects nature and technology, allowing music to emerge in an unexpected and poetic way. Twenty-five years after the work was created, however, the use of live animals in art can also be questioned. …

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3. Christian Marclay — The Clock (2010)

Christian Marclay's iconic work, The Clock, is a 24-hour video montage composed of thousands of film clips depicting time, usually with a mechanical or digital clock. Each moment in the video corresponds to the real time (!), meaning the work functions as both art and clock simultaneously. Marclay plays with our perception of time, cinema, and rhythm. This approach is typical of this famous Swiss-American artist, who frequently employs found footage from popular culture to create ambitious collages.

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4. Christina Kubisch — Electrical Walks (since 2003)

In her long-standing series, 'Electrical Walks, pioneering German sound artist Christina Kubisch invites visitors to walk through the city wearing special headphones that make invisible electromagnetic fields audible. These headphones convert signals from sources such as electrical cabinets, Wi-Fi, and underground trains into sound. In this way, Kubisch reveals a hidden world of sound, encouraging us to perceive our technological environment differently. The work has been presented numerous times at sound art festivals around the world, with each presentation adapted to the specific architectural and urban context.

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5. Mike Tonkin & Anna Liu — Singing Ringing Tree (2006)

The Singing Ringing Tree is a permanent sound art installation and sculpture by Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu. It is located on a hill in the English countryside of Burnley. Made of metal tubes, the sculpture is played mechanically by the wind. It produces an eerie, singing sound, poetically connecting landscape, natural forces, and human creativity. It is a popular tourist spot in the region and one of the best known examples of permanent sound sculpture.

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Even Belgium's largest permanent collection of sound art, Klankenbos, in the forests of Pelt in Limburg, is in an in-between zone far away from the big cities.

Why is there so much sound art in peripheral regions?

Here are five possible explanations:

1. The major museums in the big cities with a tradition of visual art are not (yet) interested in sound art. They often lack experience with sound technologies or lack the space for it. So curators are looking for alternative spaces or fundings.

2. In an urban environment with a high population density and less available space, there is a much higher risk of complaints from citizens and ‘sound overlaying’. You literally need space to present multiple works so that these work are not disturbing each other … and the neighbours.

3. Sound artists tend to be more interested in locations with whimsical architecture and acoustics than in sterile, white museum halls. They are keen to explore places where sound vibrations can echo, reverberate, and blend with other natural or urban sounds. For example a chapel with reverb, a busy pedestrian area, an abandoned factory or a quiet spot by the sea.

4. Nature is often a source of inspiration. Sound artists love to exploring natural soundscapes (like birdsong or the wind), cosmic phenomena (such as the electromagnetic spectrum) or humanity's destructive impact on that natural environment. For this, they need to do field trips and often fall in love with specific remote locations.

5. Experiencing a sound art installation requires time and attention of our senses, body and mind. It is not just something to look at or hear from a distance; it is an immersive experience that takes time, allowing the sound waves or musical ideas to enter our bodies and fill the space, giving us a moment to meditate on the work's layered meanings. And such art requires processing afterwards. Walking to the next installation can provide this opportunity for reflection. This is why many sound art exhibitions take the form of a walk between artworks that are some distance apart.

Let me know what your take is on this!

Another internationally renowned sound artist from Oslo is Camille Norment. Blending contemporary composition with visual arts, Norment is renowned for her glass harmonica performances and audiovisual installations, such as her work at the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2015. The central focus of her work is 'cultural psychoacoustics', meaning she explores the relationships between the body, sound, and political power. Norment often works with voice or acoustic feedback.

One example of an installation is Everything But Nothing, which consists of a drum stand affixed to the final gallery wall and a brass bowl containing two silver Chinese medicine balls that occasionally clack against each other with the help of hidden magnets. The result is akin to a living creature and has a hypnotic musical quality.

Here’s another large scale brass sculpture by Norment, called Plexus. Visually the sculpture both recalls a horn, a singing bowl and a bell. Sonically the work combines feedback loops with 1960s and ’70s radio broadcasts. More info on Camille Norment’s website here.

The sculpture Burned Cork - Resilience honors Portuguese cork craftsmanship, using an oak tree that survived the 2021 wildfires due to its fire-resistant bark. The summer of 2021 saw record-breaking fires, from Portugal to Siberia, with massive CO2 emissions that further damaged the environment. While the Cork Oak is fire-resistant, the widespread planting of fast-growing eucalyptus has worsened fire risks in Portugal.

This sound sculpture uses the burned cork to create sound, symbolizing resilience. It is part of a larger project promoting cork oak for forest management and fire prevention, developed during a residency at Rural Vivo, an ecological center in the UNESCO-listed Gerês reserve.

Here are some more kinetic sound works by Gil Delindro, which were all inspired by natural phenomena.

Check out his website here.

Dark green forests, meadows, red-painted wooden farmhouses, rocky beaches, deep blue fjords and water birds provide the backdrop to a large-scale sound art exhibition on the Norwegian island of Jeløya, near the city of Moss and 30 minutes by train from Oslo.

Spanning approximately 40 projects, the Norwegian art biennial MOMENTUM 13 explores the medium of sound. At the heart of this exhibition is the remote F 15 art gallery, which has a beautiful terrace where you can enjoy salmon toast with a view of the fjords.

While there are some impressive audiovisual installations inside the gallery, such as works by Carsten Nicolai and Christian Marclay, the most special feature is the walking trail through the natural surroundings of the island. Hidden amongst the bushes, trees and grasslands are works by Jana Winderen, Maia Urstad, Janet Cardiff and Georges Bures Miller, and many others besides.

While focusing mainly (but not exclusively) on Nordic artists, curator Morten Søndergaard explores the boundaries between the human and non-human worlds and the 'ultra-local' and global ecological and technological phenomena.

I loved being surrounded by these artworks and listening to composed electronic and acoustic sounds blending with the natural sounds of birds and waves.

Let me walk you through my five personal highlights.

Christian Skjødt Hasselstrøm — μ

Outside the gallery on the front lawn, overlooking the fjord, 120 brass hemispheres form an exact grid. Each sphere produces a specific sound: a dull, metallic 'tick'. The artwork uses advanced technology to respond to cosmic phenomena. It captures cosmic rays — high-energy particles originating from space — and makes them audible. Visitors can walk amongst this 'cosmic listening station', which invites us to enter hidden worlds far beyond the boundaries of our own. This is very impressive work by a Danish artist I hadn't heard of before!

Janet Cardiff & Georges Bures Miller
— FOREST (for a thousand years…)

This is the second time I have experienced this audio work by the renowned artist duo Janet Cardiff and Georges Bures Miller (the first time was in Bornem, Belgium), and it may well be one of my favourite sound works. Unlike many sound artists, Cardiff does not start from technological acoustic or audiovisual phenomena, but her work is more related to musical, poetical and theatrical experiences. Twenty-two speakers are positioned around a listening arena deep in the forest. Hyperrealistic recordings of marching soldiers, artillery fire, distant screams and ephemeral singing merge with the natural environment. As visitors sit on tree stumps, the distinction between what is 'live' and what is artfully constructed becomes blurred. You absolutely have to experience this piece; it really messes with your head.

Mélia Roger — Intimacy of lichens / Intimacy of stones

A big discovery for me was a two-channel video installation by the French artist Mélia Roger. While inside one of the gallery spaces, I was transported right back outdoors. Through tactile microphones attached to her hands, Roger amplifies the otherwise imperceptible vibrations she encounters when delicately interacting with lichens, stones and natural surfaces. Filmed during a residency in Brazil, apart from the fantastic ASMR-like soundscapes, it almost felt like a dance performance.

Maia Urstad — In The Unlikely Event of…

Maia Urstad is perhaps one of the greatest living Nordic sound artists. Based in Oslo, she has been creating sound installations using field recordings and radiophonic waves since the 1980s. For this new piece, a 2x2m wooden shed was placed in a field with a stunning view of the fjord. Inside, there is a bench and a multi-channel speaker system. Visitors hear a musical composition containing safety information received by travellers on boats, trains and aeroplanes. "Do not smoke in bed." “Push the life jacket down with your hands.” In this way, the shed's view offers an imaginary journey around the world while highlighting all the potential dangers.

Jacob Kirkegaard — The Grey Zone (NeverWhere)

Danish sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard is interested in the sounds of volcanic earth, ice, atmospheric phenomena, nuclear power plants and deserted places. Deep in the Jeløya forest, sound recordings of a radioactive swimming pool in Chernobyl, Ukraine are combined with the natural sounds of the forest. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling onto the pool is played through invisible speakers. The result is very uncanny, and a great example of in situ sound art, where natural and man-made sounds blend in completely.

MOMENTUM 13 runs until 12 October 2025 in Moss, Norway 🇳🇴

All info on their website