The thirteenth Sonic Acts Festival in Amsterdam is entirely dedicated to the exploration of space in performative and audiovisual art, film, music and architecture. Sonic Acts XIII - The Poetics of Space examines the importance of physical space in times of far-reaching technological developments, and the physical and psychological impact of spatial designs.

The programme comprises an overview of recent works and experiments - spatial audio compositions and audiovisual installations - and includes relevant historical examples and utopian ideals and dreams of the 20th century.

Conference

The three-day conference in De Balie forms the heart of the festival. Besides lectures and presentations, the comprehensive programme also features interviews, film screenings and short performances. The conference explores this theme during the lectures that link the history of (media) art with scientific and technological developments, drawing on architectural theory, phenomenology, psychophysics and even space travel.

Concerts / Performances / Films

The evening programme comprises of a wide-ranging exploration of the spatial dimensions of image and sound and examines the relationship between spatial architecture and the listening ear and how our brains process sensory input. The programme includes important works in the areas of Expanded Cinema, pieces by several generations of soundscape composers and field recordist as well as Subtlemob, a blend of locative media, a soundwalk and performance by studio-based artist Duncan Speakman.