Sonic Activation

sonic activation, villa aurora is a work-in-progress by the sonic duo LABOUR (Farahnaz Hatam and Colin Hacklander), conceived for the occasion of their fellowship at the eponymous artist residency, that continues their exploration of nuanced format with regard to acoustic space as a potentially radical gesture. 

Through a series of playful spatial arrangements, LABOUR invites the listener into acoustic space through a sequence of sonic activations that highlight the localization of sound and its often complex interaction with space. 

Set in the former residence of Lion and Marta Feuchtwanger, the sounds themselves create a sense of dialogue between both human and non-human agents and include digital sound synthesis using psychoacoustics and algorithmic compositional processes, the unique in-house pipe organ and grand pianos, acoustic percussion, and acoustic kamancheh performed live. 

Whatch the video here!

Colin Hacklander, born in Minneapolis in 1986, is an avant-garde composer and percussionist with a background in post-tonal theory and electronic music who works primarily with the electronic musician Farahnaz Hatam with whom he leads the Berlin-based sonic entity, LABOUR. Together, their practice explores perception and social situations through digital sound synthesis, algorithmic composition, percussion, psychoacoustics, and sound for architectural spaces while fostering a heightened sensory awareness for the listener by promoting active listening, and recognising that acoustic space approaches one externally, yet remains primarily an internal space.

Farahnaz Hatam, born in Tehran in 1967, is a sound artist, composer and specialist-DJ, working primarily with SuperCollider, a digital sound synthesis programming environment. She has a background in molecular biology and works primarily with the musician Colin Hacklander with whom she leads the Berlin-based sonic entity, LABOUR. Together, their practice explores perception and social situations through digital sound synthesis, algorithmic composition, percussion, psychoacoustics, and sound for architectural spaces while fostering a heightened sensory awareness for the listener by promoting active listening, and recognising that acoustic space approaches one externally, yet remains primarily an internal space.