Goethe-Institut Hongkong presents “Klangkunst – a mobile exhibition on ‘sound art’ in Germany today” at its Goethe-Gallery from November 3 to 11, 2011. One of the curators of this exhibition, Johannes Sistermanns, will be present at the exhibition opening at 7:00pm on November 3 by invitation of Goethe-Institut Hongkong. Sistermanns will at the same time perform at this year’s “Musicarama”, an annual music event, with his “Sound Goes Surface”, also supported by the Institut.
It happens regularly in life, sometimes in art and always in Klangkunst: the eye and the ear are equal players, and thus in league with the other senses. Klangkunst, or ‘sound art’, is situated at the borderline between (contemporary) music and the (present-day) visual arts. It experiments with sounds and spaces, both interior and exterior. It often makes use of everyday objects and plays with situations from normal life. For more than two decades Klangkunst has been alive in the German-speaking countries, allowing people to experience customary objects in new and different ways, to discover unusual things and to explore them at their own pace with their own world of perception. Klangkunst is sensual and playful, mysterious and inquisitive.
The artists represented in this traveling exhibition of installations have made major contributions to the history of Klangkunst in Germany. They responded to the idea advanced by curators Stefan Fricke and Johannes S. Sistermanns – namely, to create a small, mobile Klangkunst space with their works and to bring it to life for the eyes and ears. All the objects, whether separately or together, are self-contained works of sound art. As a visitor, you can eavesdrop on them, play with them, even build them yourself. Catalogues and a netbook allow you to deepen your knowledge of the beautiful and amazing world of Klangkunst – a world that will become your temporary home the moment you step into this space.
All the objects,
whether separately or together,
are self-contained works of sound art.
As a visitor,
you can eavesdrop on them,
play with them,
or even build them yourself.
Klangkunst - a mobile exhibition on “sound art” in Germany today
Produced by Deutscher Musikrat gemeinnützige Projektgesellschaft mbH
and Förderprojekte Zeitgenössische Musik
Curated by Stefan Fricke and Johannes S. Sistermanns
3. – 14.11.2011, Goethe-Gallery, Goethe-Institut Hongkong
Johannes S. Sistermanns stages his composition as Electroacoustic (multi channel) Performances, SoundPlastic, Radioart, Music Theatre and Urban Environment. He was taught in ‚Tao of Voice method by Prof. Stephen Cheng, New York, as well as in Classical North Indian Singing at the Banares Hindu University B.H.U. and in Calcutta. 1976-84 he studied at the Musikhochschule Köln New Music Theatre with Mauricio Kagel, Piano with Klaus Runze and Rhythmik with Holmrike Leiser. Doctorate 1989 in Musicology. Performances, exhibitions, teachings, stipends and artist/composer-in-residence took him to India, Japan, VR China, Australia and USA. He performs/exhibits in International Festivals, including Knitting Factory New York 1995, Melbourne Festival 1997, Goethe-Institut Tokyo 1997/Kyoto 1998, Worldexhibition EXPO 2000 Hannover, Adelaide Festival 2000, International Summercourse Darmstadt 2004 / 2006, Turning Sounds Warshaw 2005, Donaueschinger Musiktage 1996/1999/2005, 1. Shanghai International Electroacoustic Music Festival 2006, ISCM World New Music Days 2006 Stuttgart/2010 Sydney, Australasian CompMusic Conference ACMC 2008 Sydney - in Radio Stations (WDR, SWR, HR, SR, DLR, RBB Berlin, ORF Kunstradio Vienna, ABC Radio Sydney).
1997 - 2010 he is vice-president of the DEGEM, German Association for Electroacoustic Music. 2004/06 he is Lecturer at the ‚International Summer Courses for New Music’ in Darmstadt [Germany], 2010/11 at HKB Bern [Switzerland] and Artistic Director of the Academy 'Experimental Musictheatre' in Hellerau/Dresden [Germany]. Further information: http://www.sistermanns.eu/#page/personalia
