Tune. Sound and beyond live at Haus der Kunst
Click here for an overview of current and upcoming “Tune” events.
TUNE is a series of short sound residencies at Haus der Kunst, and is located between the realms of sound, music, and visual art. The invited artists move across genres, eras, and influences, and generate sonic responses and exchanges with the wider programming at Haus der Kunst.
The TUNE programme for 2023 begins with music that is radically free, pushing the boundaries of improvisation, and which questions who it is for and how it is created. Space is made for a heightened group experience, and what Alvin Curran describes as “plain musical vulcanism”, often in reaction to the political and social context in which it is made. Curran’s work will form an echo to that of Joan Jonas, a longtime creative collaborator, with a shared passion for spontaneity, and non-linear structures and assemblages.
Through post-punk, dub, metal, free jazz, and experimental electronics, the line between composition and improvisation in the unfolding programme becomes blurred. Raw emotions and their expression form a connecting thread, enabled by group dynamics and creative intuition, and artists work collectively. A focus on the voice and direct expression unfolds, inspired by the work of Meredith Monk, and the voice is presented in all its power and vulnerability. Lyricism, neo-blues, soul and R&B guide introspection and intimacy, while the space between the sound and meaning of words is excavated, exposing the primeval and the instinctive. As with the work of Katalin Ladik, instability becomes a generative force creating space that is not static and overly defined, but open and with potential. The body is an instrument, and music is sourced from the depths within.
Alongside the performance programme, an artist is invited to make a new acoustic work to be installed in the Terrassensaal for nine months. The Terrassensaal is a transitional space, in which the sound installation can be encountered. It offers the possibility to critically engage with sound and music as layered art forms that carry histories and meanings. The artist is also commissioned to produce sound for Haus der Kunst to use online to accompany digital content, and to play at live events, conferences, and talks. Their work becomes the voice of the museum, and their sound is used to connect the museum’s online presence and physical space.
After Lamin Fofana’s a call to disorder, Ihor Okuniev’s work Land is the second commission. The Ukrainian artist takes his inspiration from the landscapes, customs and traditions of his motherland, and the destruction caused by the Russian invasion.
As well as the Terrassensaal commission, Haus der Kunst has supported many original productions as part of the TUNE programme. Together these include Lamin Fofana's composition a call to disorder (2021), the sound installation |Ngo| (2021) by Nkisi, the film Amaru's Tongue: Daughter (2021) by Chuiquimamani-Condori and Joshua Chuquimia Crampton, the sound installation and performance by Beatrice Dillon Impossible Ideal Angle (2022) with Eve Stainton, a sound installation by Emiranda (2022), the audiovisual performance by Christelle Oyiri Godspeed (2022) and the composition Land (2022) by Ihor Okuniev.
Artists invited in 2023 include: Ihor Okuniev, Alvin Curran, Standing on the Corner, Lifetones, Phew, Nina, Still House Plants, Exotic Sin, Dawuna, Katalin Ladik, KeiyaA, and Duma.
For parts of TUNE in 2023 Haus der Kunst will collaborate with Bourse de Commerce. From Paris to Munich, the two institutions will unveil joint musical projects, confronting different generations of artistic avantgarde, and weaving links between contemporary art and music. The Lifetones residency in March is the first of these collaborations.
