2009 Zen Concrete

In summer 2009, the Quilow moated castle located in Western Pomerania hosted an exhibition for sound artists from Japan and Germany who attempted to acoustically merge Asian Buddhism and European Enlightenment. The ruins of this Renaissance-period castle - today a registered historic landmark - have been vacant for 15 years. As an exhibition venue, it is an ideal environment for the works to interact with and respond to the spatial characteristics on location. All six invited artists adhere to the tradition of the musique concrète, using "concrete" noises and sounds from daily life and applying them through montage or electronic processing to create a new listening experience. The artists also integrated the Buddhist Zen philosophy into their works which raises emptiness and silence to an aesthetic experience. The connection of space, light and sound, its syncretistic interpretation based on Far Eastern and European traditions with installations located at a solitary venue, an abandoned castle, gave visitors an extraordinary artistic experience.

Artistic director: Jörg Hasheider
Artists: Hitochi Kojo (J), Anne Krickeberg, Rie Nakashima (J), Johannes S. Sistermanns, Miki Yui (J), Rolf Julius.

Venue and schedule:
Quilow moated castle: 6 June - 25 July 2009