Lunch Bytes is a series of public discussions, which examine the consequences of the increasing ubiquity of digital networked technologies in relation to artistic practice. Each event is dedicated to a different topic and brings together artists, media scholars, designers, curators and intellectuals.

Lunch Bytes was initiated in 2011 by the Goethe-Institut Washington, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Pro Helvetia in Washington DC. In 2014, the series is launched in Europe as a project by the Goethe-Institut in Northwest Europe. In close collaboration with local partners, the Goethe-Instituts in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, Helsinki, London and Stockholm will set up discussions about art and digital culture throughout 2014. The events will refer to four major themes: Medium, Structures and Textures, Society, Life. The project will culminate in an international symposium to be held in Berlin in 2015.

Lunch Bytes in Helsinki

10 June from 6–8 pm
Sinne
Iso Roobertinkatu 16, Helsinki

Structures and Textures: Sound

Digital technologies have rendered sound and music more portable, malleable and available. The introduction of new technologies into everyday soundscapes has led to a so-called “sonic turn”; a term that stands for the increasing presence of sound in our everyday lives and the amplification of auditory space. A number of artists have explored digital sound as a shared, networked experience – drawing on the availability of sound and music on the internet, translating it into images – and questioning the relationship between space, sound and the (moving) body.

This Lunch Bytes event explores the effect of digitisation on our experience of sound and music, tracing its influence in the work of artists. It asks why sound has gained prominence in contemporary art making, how it differs from the way sound is used in music making, and how digital and recording technologies have affected this development. Furthermore, it enquires into the connections between digital images, sound, and our senses, by looking at the ways artists have negotiated their intersections.

This event is co-curated by Melanie Bühler and Kimmo Modig. Artists and experts:

• Diedrich Diederichsen, critic, journalist, author, Berlin

• Tapio Hakanen (DJ Orkidea), DJ, sound designer, Helsinki

• Ilja Karilampi, artist, Berlin

• Kimmo Modig, artist, curator, Helsinki

The event is held in English.