Milieux Sonores Opening

From the rooms we imagine when we hear our noisy neighbors across the wall to the echoes that bounce off mountain cliffs, sound and space combine to create mental landscapes that become important parts of our environment. As developments in media technology make these virtual spaces and soundscapes ever more present in our lives—think video games, GPS applications, and audio surround—they are increasingly the subject of cultural theory study. Rarely have these concepts been explored in media art exhibitions, however.

Now, swissnex San Francisco and Gray Area Foundation for the Arts are pleased to announce the U.S. debut of Milieux Sonores: Sound and Imaginary Space, curated by Marcus Maeder and the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST) at the Zurich University of the Arts.

Milieux Sonores, which premiered in Zurich in 2009 at Kunstraum Wlacheturm, was designed to create imaginary spaces that could be shown in actual places as exhibition architecture. Participants, who included artists, composers, and sound designers often working in teams, were issued the following challenge: Build an imaginary space. The resulting five installations make use of cutting-edge audio technology developed at ICST Zurich to propose very diverse solutions. At Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, they all become part of a dark, mine-like space defined by sharp black shapes jutting out from gallery walls.

Event Link: grayarea.org/event/mileux-sonores-sound-and-imaginary-space/