La Galería Singuhr es una interesantísima iniciativa nacida en Berlín en 1996, y que ha sido durante todo este tiempo el principal espacio dedicado a presentar instalaciones de arte sonoro en la ciudad, con mas de 50 exhibiciones y algunos otros eventos organizados hasta la fecha. El pasado verano se trasladaron a una espectacular nueva localización situada en el interior de un antiguo depósito de agua en el area de Prenzaluer Berg, un lugar con una acústica muy especial, donde ya empezaron entonces a alojar proyectos sonoros site-specific.

Nos informan de que tras su habitual parón invernal, en tan solo unos días inaugurarán la temporada 2008 con tres instalaciones. Si pasais por Berlín este verano os recomendamos que no dejeis de visitar este espacio.

24th May – 13th July 2008
Aernoudt Jacobs
Echolocation
opening: 23rd May 2008 at 6.00 p.m.
long night: 13th July 2008 until 12.00 p.m.

24th May – 13th July 2008
Ulrich Eller
Talking Drums
opening: 23rd May 2008 at 6.00 p.m.
long night: 13th July 2008 until 12.00 p.m.

25th May – 14th September 2008
Akio Suzuki
oto-date NA GI SA
opening: 24th May 2008 at 6.00 p.m.

The 23 and 24 May will see the launch of the singuhr-sound gallery’s 2008 exhibition season with three sound installations in and at both subterranean water reservoirs in Prenzlauer Berg.

The singuhr-sound gallery has provided the main venue for installative sound art in Berlin since 1996.
Following the successful opening season at its new location, the gallery will now enter its second exhibition season there. Belgian sound artist Aernoudt Jacobs will provide the kick-off. His “Echolocation” installation is centred around the complex acoustic relationships in the inner part of the Large Water Reservoir’s concentric ring architecture. Subwoofers give the architecture variable tonal colourations in the individual rings that are counterpointed by rotating high range notes. Accompanied only by selected light sources, the visitors use special detectors that recapture the functional principles of an echo-sounder that help them navigate through the darkened labyrinth. Acoustic signals that are reflected from the surrounding architecture shed light on the individual location and consolidate into a constantly changing sound space.

At the same time, Ulrich Eller’s “Talking Drums” installation will open in the Small Water Reservoir. Eller is a professor at the HBK Braunschweig and a sound art pioneer in Germany. Forty identically constructed snare drums hang individually at face level on thin steel cords propped on circular wall positions along the architecture’s rhythmic pillars. All of the drums resonate the sound of short chalk strokes via inbuilt loudspeakers, similar to a quick writing process. The interaction results in a staccato-like, coincidental dialogue form, a “conversation” among the drums in different moods, wherein the sound backdrop permanently alters between the original sound of the recording and the typical resonating sound of the snare drum.

In the public space around the water tower square, Japanese artist Akio Suzuki presents a sound installation that is focused on listening to everyday situations. “oto-date NA GI SA” are not installed loudspeakers in a public space but special pictographically marked audial points located around the neighbourhood – places with extraordinary acoustic and atmospheric features that invite the visitor to listen. By stepping on the nine white markings, the visitor experiences the artists’ selected audial positions. This installation, a singuhr-sound gallery contribution to the Berlin “ohrenstrand.net” instrumental New Music project, which continues through 14 September, will be opened with a performance by Junko Wada on Saturday, 24.05 at 6 p.m. as part of the “HouseMusik” festival.