Kapwani Kiwanga and Janine Jembere take over the Gropius Bau museum with “Soundshapes – In Between Frequencies“, a sound exhibition that envelops the premises in a unique, immersive resonance. Until January 1, 2024, the contemporary artists will each permeate the two entrances to the Gropius Bau with their distinct yet complementary sound works, creating an acoustic harmony between the step-free entrance to the museum and the central entrance portal to the neo-Renaissance building.
Organized by Julia Grosse and Carolin Köchling, this artistic-architectural concept draws on the permeability of sound waves to challenge the statics and monumentality of the building, with a view to weakening the division between interior and exterior.
Kapwani Kiwanga
How does architecture control the physical movement and psychological state of human beings? Kapwani Kiwanga’s art is inspired by her research into public structures, notably urban spaces, hospitals and prisons, and traces the evolution of disciplinary architectures across geography and time. Kapwani Kiwanga’s sound piece “500 pieds“, on show at the Gropius Bau until October 16, makes the link between the disciplinary tools of built spaces and colonial methods of separation. The title of his work alludes to the minimum distance of separation established between areas reserved for the local population and those intended for Europeans in the French colonies, a rigorous distancing defined during the International Conference on Colonial Urbanism.
Janine Jembere
Until January 1, 2024, Janine Jembere is sharing with visitors to the Gropius Bau Museum a flurry of words as striking as they are powerful. Using as many languages as possible, the contemporary artist offers a veritable sonic and immersive embrace to the art space’s audiences. As she puts it: “The words that were said to me echo in my head until I start saying them to myself. To find the strength to rebel, to fight and to endure, I need these words to feed my anger and my love. These are the words I need to hear; these are the words I want you to hear.” Janine Jembere shares this overflow of personal words that powerfully nourish her emotions, so that the audience too can experience this sensitive moment.
Kapwani Kiwanga and Janine Jembere sound installations create an immersive soundscape in the art space, enveloping the audience in a pleasant auditory bubble.