SOUND IN PUBLIC SPACE
COVID-19 has suddenly shown us how valuable nearby public space is. During the 2020 lockdown, visits to the museum and concert events were hardly possible. Gatherings suddenly became a big problem. Out of necessity, one’s own neighbourhood turned into a new popular holiday destination, with picnics in the park and bike tours around the city’s districts. Even if such drastic measures will no longer be necessary in the near future, the appreciation of the proximate residential environment remains current, as the pandemic fades out. Parallel to that, we have been asking ourselves even before the pandemic, how art can be presented outside familiar places such as concert halls and stages, and which synergies are to be created with our respective urban and natural environments.
SONIC CELL seeks ways to conquer city spaces. We find our locations in parking areas in residential streets, where, according to traffic regulations (STVO §76), no permit is required for temporary and private use.
OBJECTIVE
SONIC CELL aims to activate neighbourhoods and tap into a new audience by delivering art to their doorstep. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that there is more space for art and culture in the city than one would expect. czirp czirp sees in these various open spaces the potential for musicians to leave their usual habitat and a moment of discovery for the audience. We want to promote a dialogue between artists, the vibrancy of the city, as well as random people nearby.
SONIC CELL 2021
czirp czirp – sonic and experimental arts, RAD Performance (Conny Zenk), and the sound designer and composer Gustavo Petek (smallforms), conceived of ways how to implement a mobile infrastructure for experimental musics and sound art. Proof of concept in 2021, located at Schlesingerplatz 1080, showed how urban spaces could be quickly transformed into a temporary venue for multi-channel compositions. Artists: Brigitta Bödenauer (AT) and Katharina Klement (AT).
SONIC CELL 2022
The second, post-pandemic set-up in 2022 focussed on including acoustic and electronic instruments in the listening experience. We reached out to local artists who explore unique sonic universes. Artists: Pamelia Stickney (Theremin /USA) with Hans Tschiritsch (DIY-Instruments /AT) and Marie Vermont (Live Electronics /AT).
