SPACE21 FESTIVAL 2024 – Archive of Listening

The 8th edition of the International Experimental Music Festival in Slemani, SPACE21 FESTIVAL 2024, promises to be an enlightening and transformative experience for attendees. This year’s theme, “Archive of Listening,” invites participants to explore the intricate and evolving relationship between listening and music creation. By delving into the historical and contemporary practices of listening, the festival aims to shed light on how our auditory experiences shape the music of today.

The “Listening Archive” is a central feature of the festival, meticulously documenting the shifts and transformations in how we engage with sound. This archive is not just a collection of auditory experiences but a comprehensive chronicle of the changing modes of listening that have influenced musical composition and performance over time. From the ambient sounds of natural environments to the digitally manipulated tracks of modern electronic music, the archive captures the diverse spectrum of listening experiences that have contributed to the current musical landscape.

Understanding these changes is crucial for appreciating the evolution of sound and music practices. The archive serves as a vital resource for musicians, composers, and sound artists, providing insights into how different listening environments and technologies have impacted their work. By examining these shifts, the festival encourages a deeper appreciation of the subtle yet profound ways in which listening shapes our auditory world.

Audience had the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge experimental music and contribute to ongoing listening for the future of sound. The SPACE21 FESTIVAL 2024 is more than just a celebration of music; it is a dynamic exploration of the auditory experiences that define our relationship with sound.

SPACE21 festival for the first time organised three programmes presented in three public space venues in the heart of Slemani at the Sabonkaran Street. Venues: Piramerd House, well respected kurdish Author’s house from end of 18th century. Mufti Hammam, 250 year old public bath, and the oldest church, Deir Miriam Al-Adra Monastery. The festival wants to connect spaces in the city to sound to create new memories, bridges and experiences.

This year SPACE21 presented a new project ARCHIVE KHANAH for sounds recorded in Kurdistan and Iraq from 1920-1970. An interactive sound archive based on computer gaming technology. The project works with the collectors archive and the first year we presented one of the collectors from Slemani, Shwan Oscar.

The second project, Voice Notes, an international arts project exploring the role of the telephone in experiences of exile, featuring voices from Slemani and Nottingham.