There were works by younger generation artists attempting to merge visual and sonic experiences.

「CineChine」Mariska de Groot　Photo by So Oish

STEIM (the STudio for Electro-Instrumental Music), a foundation having led Dutch experimental music scene, exhibited an art installation titled “CineChine” by Mariska de Groot, Dutch female artist who is exploring multi-sensorial experiences in light, sound, movement and space. Objects that remind of a disassembled movie machine were placed in the dark room, and beams of light shot through rotating disks projected black and white moving images on the wall. The changing light frequencies were picked up by light sensitive speakers and transformed into sound. Beautifully rotating shadows and the machinery sounds made visitors feel the rhythm both visually and aurally.

Polaris: official opening ceremony ADE 2016　Photo by Olivier van Breugel

Although ADE’s main focus was club music, the event program that includes substantial amount of sound art projects manifested that sonic expressions were not confined to entertainment. Musicians and DJs are often forced to package their music as entertainment contents to cater to a large audience when they play for parties held at big clubs. On the contrary, artworks often call for careful thought of audience, and deep listening in case of sound art. Visitors pause for a while and experience an artwork at their own pace, thus not transient pleasure but artistic challenges derived from concept developments can come forward in art pieces. For musicians, participating in a sound art project is an opportunity for experiment, which is difficult to achieve in major concert venues. For audience, experiencing sound through artworks gives them new perspectives of “what is sound?”

Collaborations between musicians and visual artists were one of the highlights of ADE’s sound installation, and music lovers could enjoy discovering hidden facets of well-known artists brought out as a result of these collaborative works. ADE’s program was a good example of making use of sound art projects to give both creators and audience the opportunities of discovering new aspects of sound.

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) 2016
Date: October 19th – 23rd, 2016
Place: Various venues in Amsterdam
https://www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl