Hear Here

1. INTERNATIONAL SOUND ART PIONEERS ALONGSIDE LOCAL CREATIONS

Hear Here brought together some of the most prominent sound artists. Visitors could admire both historical works by pioneers and new creations by Belgian artists. A selection from the programme:

Mariska De Groot — BROM | Sint-Agnesschool

A choir of motorised instruments, inspired by the “bromtol” (a toy spinning top), buzzes through the peeling classrooms of an empty school.

An old humming top that Mariska de Groot found at a flea market was the starting point for a sound installation. The Hague-based artist was immediately fascinated by this colourful children's toy, which creates buzzing harmonies with three chords through a system of air and reeds. Interferences and beatings envelop the listener in a hypnotic sound bath.

Anri Sala — If and Only If | STUK Labozaal

Monumental video work follows the trail of a snail on a bow while the music of Igor Stravinsky (slowed down) resounds.

A snail plays the leading role in Anri Sala's film If and Only If. The camera follows the slow progress of the snail like a kind of “road movie”, from the bottom to the top of the bow of violist Gérard Caussé as he performs Igor Stravinsky's Elegy. A moving duet that invites you to embrace silence and enjoy the art of slowing down.

Aernoudt Jacobs — Humming the Ubique | BAC ART LAB

A mosaic of luminous foils with artificial voices responds to imperceptible radiation in the city.

In his new work Humming the ubique, artist Aernoudt Jacobs creates a mosaic of wafer-thin foils that convert radiation into luminous colour fields and artificial voices. These vocal sounds are created by artificial intelligence, while the colour of the foils becomes more intense as the voltage increases. The input for the work comes from sensors located along the Hear Here walk, translating the present but imperceptible radiation in the city directly into this audiovisual work of art.

Susan Philipsz — One and the Same | M Leuven

Three centuries-old Scottish folk songs echo simultaneously and eerily in the entrance hall of M Leuven.

Scottish artist and Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz has been exploring the psychological and sculptural possibilities of sound for more than two decades. For her three-channel composition One and the Same, Philipsz takes a medieval Scottish folk song as her starting point. Philipsz's fragile and untrained voice can be heard in three different versions played simultaneously, causing words to overlap and emphasising the uncanny atmosphere of the song.

2. WALKING ALONG BEAUTIFUL (HERITAGE) LOCATIONS

The locations of Hear Here are closely linked to Leuven's historical heritage. Many of the buildings and sites have a rich history that is highlighted once again through sound art.

Justus Lipsius Tower

The Justus Lipsius Tower and its counterpart, the Jansenius Tower, on the other bank of the Dijle, were once two towers reinforcing a water gate on Leuven's first city wall. KU Leuven recently had the Justus Lipsius Tower restored. The tower was inaccessible for a long time, so even for Leuven residents, this is a unique opportunity to visit this piece of heritage. During Hear Here, bells made from melted war ammunition will ring out, created by Slovakian artist Jonáš Gruska. In his installation Zvon, he pays a personal tribute to the bell.

Dijle Park

Today, Dijle Park is a charming piece of public green space, hidden between two arms of the Dijle River. During Hear Here, Rudy Decelière's Shallow Water will cause hundreds of dried beech leaves to rustle softly, creating an almost inaudible carpet of natural sounds that invites you to listen attentively. For the artist, this assemblage of leaves is also a metaphor for how organisms (try to) live together on our planet.