ANNUAL REPORT 2016 1 / SONIC ACTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 1. SONIC ACTS ACTIVITIES IN 2016 6 1.1 SONIC ACTS ACADEMY 6 1.2 DARK ECOLOGY 8 1.3 PROGRESS BAR 11 1.4 COMMISSIONS & CO-PRODUCTIONS 13 HOMAGE TO DICK RAAIJMAKERS 14 VILGISKODDEOAYVINYARVI: WOLF LAKE ON THE MOUNTAINS 14 PROGRESS BAR SPATIAL TRANSFORMATIONS 14 ECHOLOCATION (SESSION) 14 ALTITUDE AND HISTORY 15 MIKRO 15 PROSPECTING: A GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GREYS 15 SOUND WORK FOR PROSPECTING: A GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GREYS 16 LESOPHON 16 1.5 WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS 16 1.6 OTHER ACTIVITIES 18 1.7 DISTRIBUTION 19 1.8 PUBLISHING 20 SONIC ACTS ACADEMY VOLUME 1 20 LIVING EARTH 20 RESEARCH SERIES 20 DARK ECOLOGY FIELD NOTES 21 LIVESTREAM & VIMEO CHANNEL 21 2. PR, COMMUNICATION & MARKETING 23 Workshop by Susan Schuppli at Schuppli Susan by Workshop 3. SONIC ACTS 2016 IN NUMBERS 26 4. SONIC ACTS TEAM, PARTNERS & FUNDERS IN 2016 27 4.1 SONIC ACTS 27 4.2 DARK ECOLOGY 27 Atmospheric Feedback Loops Feedback Atmospheric Cover: der Velden. van Lucas Photo by Observatory. CESAR 2 / SONIC ACTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 INTRODUCTION With this annual report Sonic Acts presents the results of its activities in 2016. The first edition of the Academy was held in February; this 3-day event focused on the 'Sonic Acts is unstoppable!' current practice and research methodologies of artists and the connections to theory and science. It comprised a well-attended and packed programme with workshops, lectures, - Hilary Jeffery presentations, performances and screenings. With the Academy, Sonic Acts strengthens its role as a platform for research, talent development, commissioning, presentation and critical reflection. Internationally Sonic Acts was predominantly active with the acclaimed Dark Ecology project. In June Sonic Acts took more than 50 researchers and artists on a journey through the Barents Region as part of the third edition of Dark Ecology for an explorative programme of new commissioned works, lectures, discussions and research reflecting on the Anthropocene and related issues. The interest, enthusiasm and engagement of artists, theorists, scientists, audience, as well as journalists resonated not only with the immediate participants but also with an extended network of partner organisations and media that further spread the results and inspired a larger audience. Even VPRO’s Tegenlicht participated in the Journey and featured Sonic Acts and Dark Ecology extensively in a documentary on the future of art – broadcast on national television in October. Throughout the year Sonic Acts also initiated a new series of events in Amsterdam, under the moniker of Progress Bar, combining a discursive programme of talks, screenings, performances and a club night. With this new programme series Sonic Acts aims to present young makers and to promote new connections and cultural diversity. Progress Bar has rapidly gained recognition as one of the most exciting events in the club circuit – combining pressing and thrilling developments in art, music, politics and society – and the events attract a diverse and steadily growing audience. Sonic Acts furthermore organised a two-day research seminar on the legacy of Maryanne Amacher and a series of workshops, masterclasses, and presentations attended by local and international artists, makers, designers, writers and cultural professionals. Especially fruitful was the collaboration with the TU Delft at their Atmospheric CESAR observatory near Lopik. They hosted a workshop by Susan Schuppli and this inspired new commissioned works by Susan Schuppli and by Signe Lidén & Espen Sommer Eide. Sonic Acts published the book Living Earth, Field Notes from the Dark Ecology Project 2014–2016, a comprehensive publication filled with ideas, conversations, lectures, and documentation related to commissioned installations, soundwalks, concerts and performances made for and during the Dark Ecology project. Sonic Acts also produced a zine-style publication to accompany the Academy, providing insights into the practices of the participating artists. Throughout the year many more dossiers were published online through our digital Research Series, consisting of interviews, essays, videos and other research-related materials. The Living Earth publication was presented both in the Netherlands and internationally. Invited by the Van Gogh Museum Sonic Acts curated a Dark Ecology inspired programme to launch the book, with lectures, performances and screenings. 3 / SONIC ACTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Cecilia Jonsson, Prospecting: A Geological Survey of Greys Photo by Lucas van der Velden. 4 / SONIC ACTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 INTRODUCTION For the development and presentation of the new commissioned works new collaborations with both local and international partners were set up, and existing collaborations were strengthened. The international activities were reinforced with presentations of commissioned works and projects such as Vertical Cinema, and by the ongoing collaboration with international cultural partners, among others through the European Commission-funded collaborative project Changing Weathers. Alongside its activities, Sonic Acts increased professionalisation on an organisational level and invested additional effort in the development of talent within its organisation. The communication department was strengthened by introducing two positions (head of communication & marketing, and online communication assistant). Within the production department, two additional junior positions and a 6-month internship position ensure that the high production standards of the organisation can be maintained throughout the year. The new programme series Progress Bar provided opportunities to involve emerging talents in curation, moderation and critical writing, with the possibility of further involvement in the Sonic Acts organisation. Sonic Acts thus strives to equip its organisation to ensure the continuous production and realisation of high-quality and cutting-edge works and activities at the intersections of art, science and technology, with a strong focus on some of the most urgent topics of our time. Daïchi Saïto ft. Jason Sharp, Engram of Returning. Sonic Acts at Paradiso. Photo by Pieter Kers. 5 / SONIC ACTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016 1. SONIC ACTS ACTIVITIES IN 2016 1.1 SONIC ACTS ACADEMY From 26 to 28 February 2016 Sonic Acts organised the first edition of Sonic Acts Academy, ‘The works of art and research an extensive programme of workshops, lectures, presentations, performances and are neither just art, nor screenings highlighting the multifaceted field of artistic research. just research and it is in The Academy is a bi-annual event that alternates with the Sonic Acts Festival. It creates this intersection that new space for a more focused and research-oriented programme, and offers thought- connections can be drawn. This provoking new perspectives on the research into art, the research needed for art and is the power of the Academy: especially research through art. Showcasing the varied forms of artistic research and the current dialogue between theory and practice, Sonic Acts aims to focus on the many artistic-academic widely varying practice of makers and artists, and the great interest from artists and assemblies will emerge that we audiences for the first edition clearly demonstrated the need for such a programme in the Netherlands. are eagerly looking forward to.’ - Niels Tubbing, Gonzo Circus The programme took place at various locations in Amsterdam: the opening was at the Stedelijk Museum and attracted over 1100 visitors. This was followed by two days of well- received lectures, presentations and film screenings at De Brakke Grond, drawing a great crowd both off- and online (with over 600 people following the programme via the live stream on both days). On Saturday evening the symposium was followed by a packed night of concerts and performances at Paradiso. In the weeks preceding and following the Academy, there was a programme of engaging workshops for artists, curators, theorists and cultural practitioners. THE PROGRAMME Opening at the Stedelijk The opening event of the Sonic Acts Academy took place at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Outside on the Museumsquare, Joris Strijbos’ large-scale kinetic sound and- light installation IsoScope functioned as an eye-catcher. Sonic Acts commissioned IsoScope for the Academy and the Dark Ecology project in Norway and Russia. The installation consists of twelve robotic wind objects that interact with each other and their surroundings to perform a generative composition, providing a sensorial experience in Thomas Ankersmit, opening Sonic Acts which the audience could wander around. Academy at Stedelijk. Photo by Pieter Kers. Inside the Stedelijk, a multitude of performances took place throughout the building. Thomas Ankersmit premiered his new piece, a Sonic Acts commission, titled Homage to Dick Raaijmakers. Ankersmit only used analogue electronic sounds, and mainly employed the tone and noise generators, modulators, and filters – using his Serge synthesizer – that were also available to Raaijmakers in the 1950s. The performance explored the spatiality and physicality of sound, and the interference of sound waves with each other. When entering the Stedelijk, visitors first encountered two icons of the Dutch improv and sound art scene, Jos Smolders and Frans de Waard, performing a new quadrophonic composition as WaSm. Upstairs, one of the rising stars of the new electronic avant- garde, guitarist Raphael Vanoli, played solo, using a