In September 2024,  BEK welcomes Ràdio Web MACBA (RWM) Working Group to BEK for three projects: a studio residency, a workshop and a day filled with listening sessions, talks and presentations.

Electromagnetic Brunch Workshop

BEK and Ràdio Web MACBA invite you to take part in the workshop Electromagnetic Brunch, led by the artists pantea, Albert Tarrats, and the Ràdio Web MACBA Working Group. This workshop is intended to be a space for communal learning through playful auditory exploration of the immediate electromagnetic field that surrounds us.

Based on the experiences gathered in previous workshops by the RWM Working Group, the artists invite participants to develop new antennas and sniffers to transform electromagnetic energy into sound for a collective and shared listening experience of this inaudible spectrum.

Radio Web MACBA (RWM) is an online radio project based at MACBA Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona. A radio-beyond-radio that dwells in the folds and intersections of critical thinking, contemporary art, artistic research, activism, knowledge transfer, sound… and everything in between. RWM produce podcasts which can be listened to on demand, downloaded, and/or subscribed to. They also publish essays, texts, and related documentation, on the verge of filecasting.

On 16–22 September, RWM Working Group will be holding a residency in BEK’s studios and spaces. They envision to use it as an opportunity to expand the antenna designs to new shapes, sizes and supports, and couple them with transmitters that might allow to collapse the electromagnetic transductions of the antennas from the outskirts of BEK and the City of Bergen into a collective listening/mixing space inside BEK.

The workshop will include:
– building regular antennas and sniffers to explore electromagnetic areas/objects of interest.
– building ad hoc antennas for desired locations.
– setting up streaming devices for the ad hoc antennas.
– setting up a collective listening/mixing space for a collapsed live electromagnetic soundscape of the city of Bergen.

The workshop spans over three days, and is open for artists and art students. No previous knowledge is needed. The workshop will be held in English, and is free to attend. Contact us at resources(a)bek.no for questions.

Time: 18–20 September, 10:00–15:00 daily
Place: BEK, C. Sundts gate 55, 9th floor. Read about accessibility below.
Sign-up: Sign up here before 10 September.

pantea

pantea is a sound artist from Iran engaging with narratives of ecological and more-than-human connection. Her work has incorporated creative writing, walking, performance, film, photography, and audiovisual design. They are co-directing the sound art collaborative So with Soundcamp Cooperative and co-facilitating Khamoosh, a transdisciplinary community dedicated to preserving and archiving Iranian sonic heritage. They are a member of the Radio Web MACBA working group, and is currently learning about socially-engaged practice and community-based work by exploring possibilities brought about by listening.

Albert Tarrats

Albert Tarrats works with sound and electronics, exploring alternative auditory formats and the relationship with space and with others, through live performances and the construction of sound objects and devices. He is currently researching how to compress mountains and is a member of the Ràdio Web MACBA Working Group.

The workshop is organised by BEK in cooperation with Ràdio Web MACBA. It is part of New Perspectives for Action, a project by Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by The European Union.

Accessibility

BEK’s space unfortunately is not wheelchair accessible. Please send us an email at bek@bek.no if you’re using a wheelchair, and we’ll do our best to facilitate your needs. Our space has all gender toilet facilities. Service dogs are welcome. We also provide the option of a quiet room.