BEK and INA GRM (Music Research Group of the National Audiovisual Institute, France) invite musicians and sound artists to a three-day workshop on the Acousmonium sound diffusion system. Together, participants will build and experiment with a temporary, locally developed Acousmonium.

29 September – 1 October, 11:00-16:00 (Times may change) – Workshop
2 October, 18:00 – Public Presentation/Concert
Venue: DUI – Den uferdige institusjonen/the unfinished institution
Damsgårdsveien 229

Sign up. As places are limited, they will review applications and send invitations to selected participants by 13 September. The selected participants will be asked to pay a deposit of kr. 500 to be returned after full attendance in the workshop period.

The workshop is aimed at practitioners interested in multichannel sound and immersive composition, working with studio and field recordings as well as acoustic and synthetic music. It offers an opportunity to explore Acousmonium both as a technical system and as an artistic approach to the spatial presentation and diffusion of sound.

The workshop begins with an introduction by INA GRM to the history, principles and practice of the Acousmonium and to the Acousmonium Handbook, published by INA GRM in 2026. The presentation will introduce participants to the technical, acoustic and artistic considerations involved in working with an Acousmonium, including loudspeaker selection and placement, room acoustics, calibration and sound diffusion.

Over the following three days, participants will work together with the INA GRM team to build, install, calibrate and test a temporary local system using around 40 loudspeakers. The Acousmonium will be constructed from speakers and equipment available in Bergen, allowing the system to respond to the space, the available technology and the artistic context of the workshop.

A central part of the workshop is practical experimentation. Participants will work with the system and explore how sound can be distributed, moved and shaped throughout a space using a diffusion console. They will also work with and rehearse pieces composed specifically for Acousmonium, in dialogue with musicians and sound engineers from INA GRM.

The workshop will address questions around the relationship between technical setup, space and listening: How can a loudspeaker orchestra be shaped in response to a particular room? How do different loudspeakers and their placement affect the perception of a work? And what conditions are needed to facilitate the focused and attentive mode of listening often associated with Acousmonium presentations?

The workshop is both a practical introduction to the Acousmonium and a collective exploration of spatial sound, listening and diffusion. The methods and knowledge developed are also applicable to other multichannel and immersive sound systems, making the workshop relevant to a wider range of contemporary sound practices.

On Friday, 2 October, the workshop will be followed by an informal public presentation, the launch of the Acousmonium Handbook, and performances by the INA GRM team of historic works composed for the Acousmonium.

Organised in collaboration with Ina GRM and EKKO

Acousmonium

The Acousmonium is a sound diffusion system designed by François Bayle in 1974 and originally developed for the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM) at Maison de Radio France. It consists of loudspeakers of different sizes and shapes, positioned throughout a space to create an immersive and nuanced listening experience. The original system consisted of 80 loudspeakers and was designed for the playback of music from tape. Today, the system has been significantly upgraded with a digital playback system and a mixing console with motorised faders.

The Acousmonium is particularly associated with fixed media music – music composed for a fixed recording medium that does not require musicians or instruments to be performed live. The tradition draws on musique concrète, electroacoustic and acousmatic music, tape music and related practices. Although the works are fixed onto a medium, they are intended to be experienced in a live concert setting. How they are presented – through the positioning of the loudspeakers, the acoustics of the space and the movement of sound between the speakers – is therefore an integral part of the work.

A central question in working with an Acousmonium is how to create the right conditions for listening. This can be understood as a form of dedicated listening: a focused and attentive way of listening, in which the choice of space, lighting, positioning and sound system all contribute to anchoring the listener in the experience.

There is no fixed model for an Acousmonium. The system is adapted to technological and artistic developments, as well as to the space and context in which it is used. The workshop will therefore explore how an Acousmonium can be installed, adapted and used in practice. The knowledge and techniques involved are also relevant to other forms of multichannel and immersive sound.