SOUND SPACE: Barker & Kay Sievers - Discrete Ensemble

Ahead of Barker's groundbreaking 180 Minutes event, Zenner will install the Discrete Ensemble (Viola-1) directly inside the Saal, opening the space to the public for an exclusive two-day interactive sound exhibition. Visitors are invited to experience the mechanical sound sculptures up close before their integrated performance for Barker’s 180 Minutes. Here, inside the lofty GDR-era architecture of the Saal, the physical act of listening becomes a fully immersive, 3D experience. Challenging performer and audience conventions, the eight mechanical string instruments are distributed as widely as possible throughout the Saal, giving rise to psychoacoustic effects and allowing the isolation of individual tones, encouraging interaction and discovery as the audience moves through the sonic body. By decentralising the ensemble, the piece explores individual vs collective dynamics, the interaction between sound and space, and the automation of human activities. Operating as an open gallery, visitors are encouraged to stay as long as they like, lingering within the soundscape for a meditative and unhurried experience. The Saal will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days prior to the 180 Minutes main event.