‘Tuned City – Between sound and space speculation’ is an exhibition and conference project planned for July 01.-05. 2008 in Berlin which proposes a new evaluation of architectural spaces from the perspective of the acoustic.

The project draws the traditions of critical discussion about urban space within the architecture and urban planning discourse–as well as its strategies and working methods–into the context of sound art. This expanded discussion reenforces the potential of the spatial and communicative properties of sound as a tool and means of urban practice.

At the foundations of this event are artists’ works and theoretical approaches which examine in a critical and sensitive way the given urban and architectural situations alongside their resulting socio-political implications, that re-use existing spaces or that conceive and open new spaces.

A dialogue will be built at the intersection of both disciplines which traces out the complex relations and interactions of space-sound, both presenting and testing new strategies, methods, possibilities and potentials of sound work within the artistic and applied context.

Tuned City is structured in two main segments – symposium and site-specific installations.

On the individual days the symposium will approach the topic from five different theoretical and spatial perspectives. Spaces built for the production and reception of sound or acoustically flawed or impossible spaces, public and semi-public urban space, finished and planned spaces, wasteland or cultivated spaces, indoors and outdoors – the chosen venues correspond with the individual topic of the day and offer plastic illustration and demonstration. Tuned City will try to break down the conventional conference format and to catalyse the discussion via the space in a mixture of academic talk, artistic presentation, performances, reports from working practice, demonstrations, and walks.

The five days will be accompanied by a dense workshop programme and a performance programme corresponding with the individual topics.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

1 july 2008 – aural architecture
venue: Pfefferberg Haus 13
8 pm opening / keynotes / performances

2 july 2008 – sound material
venues:
Technische Universität Berlin (block I)
Brunnenstrasse 9 (block II)
Pfefferberg Haus 13 (block III)
block I / 11 am: listening to soundscapes
block II / 3 pm: building with sound
block III / 8 pm: sound – space – architecture

3 july 2008 – sonic interventions
venues: Alexanderplatz (block I+II+III)
block I / 11 am: urban space and sonic experience
block II / 1 pm: sound and social communication
block III / 4 pm: public and private soundscapes

4 july 2008 – sonic landscapes
venues:
Tafelgarten Hamburger Bahnhof (block I)
Wriezener Freiraum Labor (block II+III)
block I / 11 am: installation Punktierter Garten
block II / 2 pm: design of acoustic environments
block III / 9 pm: das kleine field recordings festival

5 july 2008 – virtual soundspaces
venue: Rundfunkhaus Nalepastrasse
block I / 11 am: radio space
block II / 3 pm: sonic derive
block III / 5 pm: talking sound and building space

Tuned City is produced by garage g e.V. (Carsten Stabenow and Gesine Pagels) in cooperation with Carsten Seiffarth (singuhr – hoergalerie), Derek Holzer, Anke Eckardt and Anne Kockelkorn. The project is funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds.

TUNED CITY WORKSHOPS

[+info and registration]

Hearing Berlin: 12 Approaches / 01.-05.07.08
Chris Watson
Fee: EUR 75
Workshop Language: English
Hearing Berlin: 12 Approaches is a workshop for environmental sound recording conducted by Watson for Tuned City. This workshop takes a multidisciplinary approach towards field recording, inviting practitioners in different disciplines – from sound artists to architects, city planners to social researchers – a chance to listen to the city of Berlin through Watson’s expert guidance. The results of this 5 day workshop will be presented in the final day of the Tuned City event.

Scrying / 01.-02., 04.07.08
Martin Howse
Fee: EUR 60
Workshop Language: English
Across three days, the scrying workshop will explore and construct city-wide electromagnetic [EM] phenomena within the data space domain, examining techniques of digital forensics, of signal archaeology overlapping with contemporary artistic concerns. The scrying platform, an open hardware project concerned with the design and implementation of low power (enabling long-term, solar-powered urban installation) devices interfacing code and EM practice, will be used during the workshop.

Kinetic (Architectural) Modelbuilding / 01.-04.07.08
Ralf Schreiber and Martin Kuentz
Fee: EUR 10
Workshop Language: English & German
This four day workshop aims to create architectural models of of urban structures which can be sonically activated using small motors taken from cassette tape players. Each workshop participant can (alone or in groups) develop and build these “sounding (architectural) models”. The models can be tuned according to sound criteria and arranged and linked according to their function for a collective presentation on Saturday 5 July.