The two-week festival Extended Spaces – Resonant Bodies follows in the footsteps of the American composer Alvin Lucier, who died in December 2021. It is both a tribute and an explicitly contemporary project – an homage to the composer, who was always open to new contexts and who remained artistically active into old age.
The program consists of three modular parts. It focuses on Lucier’s revolutionary musical and compositional concepts and their significance for contemporary compositional practice. To this end, it links the beginnings of Lucier’s experimental music and instrumental compositions with current artistic positions – as part of a city-wide festival in Berlin and in collaboration with national and international composers, sound artists, art and music experts.
The project has two main focuses: (a) the comprehensive, historically verified presentation of works by Alvin Lucier from all of his creative periods, realized in part with original material from Lucier’s estate, and (b) the commissioning of international and national sound artists and composers to artistically engage with individual works, work ideas and concepts from Lucier’s extensive oeuvre in new works.
Exemplary performances of Lucier’s works will always be combined with current compositions, performances and installations. The program includes a total of ten concerts and performances as well as eight sound installations. In addition, a two-day symposium will focus on the special role of Alvin Lucier for the music world, sound art and experimental music up to the present day.
For the concerts, we are working together with the Ensemble KNM Berlin and the Ever Present Orchestra, an ensemble with which Lucier worked very closely during his last creative period. Several renowned soloists will perform works by Lucier. Lucier’s sound installations will be realized mainly by Hauke Harder.
The festival will take place modularly and simultaneously at five different venues in Berlin: the Parochialkirche (Mitte), the Kunstquartier Bethanien, Emmauskirche (Kreuzberg), the Radialsystem (Friedrichshain), the CLB Gallery and the daadgalerie (Kreuzberg).
National and international artists from a wide range of disciplines and genres are participating in the project, including artists who have years of practical experience with Lucier’s works as well as artists who are engaging with Lucier for the first time.
Extended Spaces – Resonant Bodies: Alvin Lucier
w/ Hanna Hartman (SE), Yutaka Makino (JP), Juliana Hodkinson (GB/DK), Michael Moser (AT), Ana Maria Rodriguez (AR), Ron Kuivila (US), David Behrman (US), Hugo Esquinca (MX), Robyn Schulkowsky (US), Alberto de Campo+Liz Albee+Hannes Hoelzl+Anne Wellmer, Hauke Harder (DE), John Fulleman (SE), Charles Curtis, Trevor Saint (US), and many others.
A festival by singuhr – projects dedicated to the work of Alvin Lucier
Festival program
Openings
Wednesday, 11.9.24, 18:00, Exhibition opening: CLB Berlin
Aufbau Haus am Moritzplatz, Prinzenstraße 84.2 (Entrance Oranienstraße), 10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Exhibition: 12. – 22.9.24, daily 14:00 – 20:00, free admission
Alvin Lucier + John David Fullemann »Solar Sounder I« – sound installation (European premiere)
Yutaka Makino »Confabulation« – sound installation (Premiere)
Hugo Esquinca »CONDICIÓN_0924« – sound installation / intervention (Premiere), daily 20:00-22:00
Thursday, 12.9.24, 20:00, Opening concert: Parochialkirche
Klosterstraße 67, 10179 Berlin-Mitte, Tickets: 15 Euro, red. 10 Euro
Alvin Lucier »Music for Solo Performer« (Performer: David Behrman, Sound direction: Hauke Harder)
Alvin Lucier »Slices« – for cello and pre-recorded orchestra (Violoncello: Charles Curtis)
Robyn Schulkowsky »Dear Alvin« – for percussion and electronics with Robyn Schulkowsky & Joey Baron (Premiere)
Exhibitions
Friday, 13.9.24, 18:00, Exhibition opening: Parochialkirche
Klosterstraße 67, 10179 Berlin-Mitte
Exhibition: 14. – 22.9.24, daily 14:00 – 20:00, free admission
Alvin Lucier »TWINS / Music on a Long Thin Wire« (Re-Installation from 1999, Realisation: Hauke Harder)
Saturday, 14.9.2024, 17:00, Exhibition opening: Projektraum Kunstquartier Bethanien
Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Exhibition: 15. – 22.9.24, daily 14:00 – 20:00, free admission
Alvin Lucier »Sound on Paper« – sound installation
Alvin Lucier »Empty Vessels« – sound installation
Hauke Harder »Half ‘n Half« – sound installation (Premiere)
Alvin Lucier »Directions of Sounds from the Bridge« – sound installation
Viola Rusche & Hauke Harder »NO IDEAS BUT IN THINGS – The composer Alvin Lucier« (Film)
(Realisation sound installations Alvin Lucier: Hauke Harder)
Concerts
Saturday, 14.9.24, Double concert: Kunstquartier Bethanien, Studio 1
Tickets: Concert 10 Euro, Double concert 18 Euro, red. 15 Euro
Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Ever Present Orchestra & Guests:
19:30
Tashi Wada »Landslide« (Violoncello: Charles Curtis)
Alvin Lucier »Double Helix« – for four electric guitars with e-bows
21:00
Alvin Lucier »Ricochet Lady« – for solo glockenspiel (Glockenspiel: Trevor Saint)
Alvin Lucier »Arrigoni Bridge« – for violin, alto saxophone, cello and three electric guitars
Alvin Lucier »Semicircle« – adapted instrumentation for the Ever Present Orchestra
Sunday, 15.9.24, Double concert: Kunstquartier Bethanien, Studio 1
Tickets: Concert 10 Euro, Double concert 18 Euro, red. 15 Euro
Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Ever Present Orchestra & Guests:
19:30
Alberto de Campo + Hannes Hoelzl +Jiawen Wang + Anne Wellmer »Six Strange String Theories« (Premiere)
Alvin Lucier »Vespers« – for any number of players
21:00
Alvin Lucier »Two Circles« – adapted instrumentation for the Ever Present Orchestra
Alvin Lucier »Three Cardboard Boxes« – for violin, bowed glockenspiel, alto saxophone, double bass and two electric lap steel guitars
Alvin Lucier »Tilted Arc« – for four violins, four electric guitars, piano, three alto saxophones and solo bowed glockenspiel
Friday, 20.9.24 Double concert: Emmauskirche Kreuzberg
Tickets: Concert 10 Euro, Double concert 18 Euro, red. 15 Euro
Lausitzer Platz 8a, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
19:30
»Nothing Is Real (Strawberry Fields Forever)« – for piano, amplified teapot, tape recorder and miniature sound system (Performance: Ron Kuivila)
Hanna Hartman »wild carrot« – (Performance: Hanna Hartman, Premiere)
Nicolas Collins »Long Fetch« (Performers: Nina Guo, Voice; Birgit Ulher, Trumpet)
21:00
Alvin Lucier »Opera with Objects« – for performer with resonating objects (Performance: Robyn Schulkowsky)
Michael Moser »surface radical« – for violoncello, transducers and drums (Violoncello: Michael Moser, Premiere)
Alvin Lucier »Bird and Person Dyning« (Realisation: Hauke Harder)
Saturday, 21.9.24, Double concert: Radialsystem
Tickets: Concert 10 Euro, Double concert 18 Euro, red. 15 Euro
Holzmarktstraße 33, 10243 Berlin
Ensemble KNM Berlin + Soloists:
19:30
David Behrman »Open Space with Strings« – for string quartett and live electronics (Premiere, KNM Quartett)
Alvin Lucier »Navigations for Strings« (KNM Quartett)
21:00
Alvin Lucier »North American Time Capsule« (Tape)
Juliana Hodkinson »On the line« – for ensemble (Premiere)
Mary Lucier Polaroid Image Series »ROOM« with tape version of Alvin Lucier »I am sitting in a room«
Sunday, 22.9.24 Double concert: Radialsystem
Tickets: Concert 10 Euro, Double concert 18 Euro, red. 15 Euro
Holzmarktstraße 33, 10243 Berlin
Ensemble KNM Berlin + Soloists:
19:30
Alvin Lucier »In Memoriam John Higgins« – for clarinet and slow sweep pure wave oscillator (Clarinet: Winfried Rager)
Ana Maria Rodriguez »Nomenclature of Colours« – for string trio and electronics (Premiere, KNM)
Alvin Lucier »The Queen of the South« (Realisation: Ron Kuivila)
21:00
Alvin Lucier »On the Carpet of Leaves Illuminated by the Moon« – for solo cello and pure wave oscillator (Violoncello: Michael Moser)
Ron Kuivila »Pitches and Neighbors« – for viola, violoncello, alto flute, bass clarinet and electronics (Premiere)
Alvin Lucier »Silver Streetcar for the Orchestra« – for solo triangle (Soloist: Robyn Schulkowsky)
Conference
21.+22.9.24, daadgalerie
Oranienstraße 161 (1. Floor), 10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Saturday 21.9.24, 14:00 – 18:00, free admission
with Helga de la Motte-Haber, Matthieu Saladin, Ron Kuivila, Charles Curtis (online), Moderation: Matthieu Saladin, Jan Thoben
Sunday, 22.9.24, 11:00 – 16:00, free admission
with Douglas Kahn (online), Volker Straebel, Nicolas Collins, Zeynep Bulut, Moderation: Matthieu Saladin, Jan Thoben
