One of the best-known artistic explorations of resonance phenomena is the work I'm sitting in a room by the recently deceased American composer Alvin Lucier. In his sound performance from 1969, Lucier plays a text he has recorded into a room, records it and plays it back again, so that at some point only the room's own resonances, multiplied many times over, become audible. In homage to his much-quoted work - but also in deliberate demarcation - the interdisciplinary project and Bauhaus module as well as the conference and exhibition I'm not sitting in a room in the summer semester of 2022 were dedicated to the exploration of resonance relationships in urban, social and political spaces.

The international conference I am not sitting in a room - urban, political and social resonances deals with the question of how our environment would change if we were to shape it acoustically, with our ears. Would we understand our current problems differently if we described them in terms of sonic resonances?

From June 24 to 26, 2022, sound theorists and artists will come together at Experimental Radio. Together, they will explore urban, political and social spaces on an interdisciplinary sound level in three thematic blocks.

The presentations of the conference can be found here as video documentation:

Video documentation of the conference: vimeo.com/showcase/9780597

The first block "urban resonances" deals with the past and future of acoustic urban space design. What will our future cities look like if they are (also) designed and shaped acoustically - with our ears? To what extent does urban sound design require collaboration between a wide variety of groups and actors? Both scientific analyses and artistic strategies for composing spatial sound will be presented.

The second topic, "political resonances", is dedicated to the politics of listening. Can listening enable political resistance? By examining soundscapes, among other things, an attempt will be made to bring previously overheard narratives to the fore and to find a solution to the increasing social fragmentation caused by the "Green Deal".

Finally, the "social resonances" examine our acoustic coexistence with the non-human environment. How can we get in touch with animals, for example? And how can their voices be made more audible? These questions will be explored in an interdisciplinary manner and an attempt will be made to form a collective inter-species choir.

In addition to lectures on the above-mentioned topics, four different workshops will also be offered. The event will be accompanied by artistic interventions. The lectures can be attended without prior registration. Registration for the workshops will be possible from June 12 via this website.

The conference will be held in English. Admission is free.

I am not sitting in a room - urban, political and social resonances
Time: Friday, June 24, 10 a.m. to Sunday, June 26, 2022 14:00 p.m.
Location: Bauhaus-Universität Weimar | Audimax in the university library
Steubenstraße 8 | 99423 Weimar