Building-Sound Compositions
in(half-)public spaces
strategies,
techniques,
and mysteries
of the series of works
The compositional production process of Oblivious to Gravity is divided into four phases
1. Inspection (Begehung)
2. Survey (Befragung)
3. Compositional answer (kompositorische Antwort)
4. Presentation
issit
Oblivious to Gravity was realized with issit
In Situ Sound Installation Toolkit
The tool was developed by the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and was available throughout the entire duration of the project.
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This project series concentrates on the artistic research of »building sound compositions«.
Starting in Graz in 2010, several abandoned buildings in various European cities have been used as sonic spaces and became an integral and tactile part of multi-channel sound compositions.
For this venture, a series of compositions meant for future reference have been created in and by the characteristics of these different buildings.
This shall help to gain knowledge of how soundart responds to conditions specific to a certain place and of how acoustic characteristics of a particular environment can become part of a new composition.
Furthermore, the project marks an artistic position in the debate about sound/noise, urbanism, architecture, and perception.
Once »completed« the composition is presented to an audience in the building and is thoroughly documented for the building-sound composition archives.
SOUNDART CREATES SPACES FOR AN ALTERNATIVE PERCEPTION OF WORLD.
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Yet another
ensemble in
»New Music«?
The Chambers for Space Inquiries was founded by Gerriet K. Sharma (composition) Saskia Reither (theory and project management), and Nico Bergmann (design) to realize the project {kA}: Oblivious to Gravity.
In autumn 2012 the group was joined by Astrid Moennich and in 2015 by media artist Verena Lercher.
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What is space?
There are of course diverse theories on space and spatiality out there.
In the cause of {kA}: we were working with two lines of thought.
»Space is a nexus of versatile elements.
It is virtually filled with the entirety
of motions that unfold inside it.
[…] thus it is a result of activities
that give it a direction, temporize it,
and motivate it to act as an entity of
conflict programmes and contractual
agreements.«
»In total space is a place with which we do
something. As the street that is determined
by urbanism geometrically gets transformed
into a space by pedestrians. Likewise the
reading becomes a space that originates by
the practical use of a place, that is built by a
semiotic system.«
MICHEL DE CERTEAU, 1988
– Die Kunst des Handelns – Berlin, 1988 | p. 217/219/233
›Räume‹ und ›Orte‹ (spaces and places)
HENRI LEFEBVRE, in his classic book ›The Production of Space‹, originally published in 1974, underlines that space is …
[…] neither a mere 'frame', after the fashion
of the frame of a painting, nor a form or
container of a virtually neutral kind, designed
simply to receive whatever is poured into it.
Space is a social morphology: it is to lived
experience what form itself is to the living
organism, and just as intimately bound up with
function and structure.
[Lefebvre 1991: 93]
{ ARCHIVE }
The project’s state and archive can be watched on this website and on kavs.cc.
Besides, each building had been documented by a print publication collecting several material (audio, photo and text) on the whole production process.
{ DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS }
At each selected location, we made contact with the local art scene, culture organizations and with universities for fine arts and music.
The Chambers of Space Inquiries offered workshops on building-sound compositions and sight specific sound installation.
The recordings had been made available for public, comprehensive and interdisciplinary discussion about composition with regard to architectural aspects, ex. space, material, architectural arrangement, building usage. We brought together professionals of certain fields participate in the discussion, such as architects, sociologists, city planners, composers and visual artists.
{ LIST OF PUBLICATIONS }
Publications in books - German
in 2012:
{kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft – Gebäude – Klangkomposition
in der Alten Gerberei, Ausstellungskatalog REGIONALE XII – Festival für Zeitgenössische Kunst und Kultur.
in 2013:
{kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft. Gebäude Klangkompositionen im (halb-)öffentlichen Raum.
Buch:Inszenierung und Effekte - die Magie der
Szenographie hrsg. von Ralf Bohn u nd Heiner Wilharm, Transcript Verlag.
in 2014:
{kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft, Einführung in die Gebäude-Klangkomposition im (halb-)öffentlichen Raum und Bericht über eine Annäherung an den historischen Bau der Alten Gerberei
in Murau, Österreich. Kanzlei für Raumbefragungen Köln | Düsseldorf | Graz, 2013. Jahrbuch Immersive Medien, Kiel.
Jahrbuch des Instituts für Kunst im öffentlichen Raum 2014.
book: Public Art - Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Steiermark 2012/13, hrsg. von Elisabeth Fiedler und Dirk Möllmann, Verlag für Moderne Kunst, Wien.
in 2016:
Reither, Saskia, Wie klingt ein Raum? Inszenierung von Räumen
durch Aneignung und Choreographie von architektonischem Klangmaterial.
book: Bewegungsmaterial. Produktion und Materialität in Tanz und Performance, hrsg. von Skrandies, Timo, Katharina Kelter, Transcript Verlag.
»Buildings provide spaces for living
but are also de facto instruments,
giving shape to the sound of the world.
Music and architecture are related not
only by metaphor, but also through concrete
space. Every building I have ever admired is,
in effect, a musical instrument whose
performance gives space a quality that often
seems to be transcendent and immaterial.«
DANIEL LIEBESKIND
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20.07.2011 Würzburg: Atelier
Klangforschung der Universität Würzburg.
Workshop: Sound Art in public spheres, urban sounds and sounding architectures.
28.-30. November 2011 FH Dortmund:
Workshop at 4th Scenographer’s Symposium.
13.01.2012 Düsseldorf: Symposium
„Frequenzdialoge. Zum Medieneinsatz in
Tanz und Medienkunst“ at Temps d’images Festival 2012 at tanzhaus nrw
Lecture: Reveberation - inbetween manipulation,
simulation and situation.
05.07.2013 Strategies, Techniques and Mysteries of the Series of Works „{kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft“
at summer school Atelier Klangforschung
Würzburg.
04.07.2014 Darmstadt: Strategien, Techniken und Rätsel der Werkreihe „{kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft“ at International Courses for Contemporary Music.
20.04.2015 Zagreb: Lecture on Building-Sound Composition at music biennale Zagreb invited by Izlog-Festival for Contemporary Sound.
18.05. and 19.05.2016
Kassel: Lecture at Atelier BAU KUNST ERFINDEN Symposium University of Kassel
2‒4 November 2017 Dublin:
Sounding out the Space -
An International Conference on the Spatiality of Sound
A collaboration between DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama,
the Dublin School of Creative Arts and GradCAM
13.10. - 20.10. 2018 Łódź: Workshop and Lecture at
OSSA Łódź Symposium for architects.
11.12.2019 London:
lecture performance at Here East, UCL
UCL Building at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London
19.03.2020 Helsinki:
New Media Seminar, Aalto ARTS, Helsinki with architect and space theorist Constantinos Miltiadis.
www.kavs.cc
Spring 2011
www.spaceinquiries.com
Summer 2016
News
2021/06/11-27 - Final Exhibition at Errant Sound Berlin, curated by Janine Eisneächer, with talks by Stefan Günzel and Brandon LaBelle.
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2020/March - Dec. - Research Catalogue Page and final mixes of 6 CDs.
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2019/Jan-Oct — Editing of the documentations for Zagreb and Cologne.
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2018/Oct. Nomintaion for the European Sound Art Award in Marl/Germany
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2016/08/02 — {kA}: Wiretapped Voids Cologne 2013/15 - new release
14 tracks & photo-booklet.
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2015/09/02 — {kA} : Oblivious to Gravity - Building Sound-Composition - Severinstraße 214 - 218 Cologne
After almost two years of reserach the Chambers for Space Inquiries found a building for the series of works!
The sitxth and last building in the series of works {kA} : Oblivious to Gravity is funded by SK Stiftung Kultur der Sparkasse KölnBonn.
*Workin on the piece since 1st September 2015.
*MI 23-09-15: 19H00 - ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION ABOUT VACANCY IN ART AND SOUND ARCHITECTURES
WITH: Frau Dr. Könches, Kunststiftung NRW / Tanja Kilger, Niederlassungsleitung Düsseldorf, BPD Immobilienentwicklung GmbH / Daniel Mennicken, ON – Neue Musik Köln e.V. / Gerriet K. Sharma, Komponist & Medienku?nstler / Georg Dietzler, Ku?nstler- Kurator / Mischa Kuball, Ku?nstler & Prof. Medienkunst; -1/MinusEins.
MI 23-09-15: 21H00 - PREVIEW {kA}: OBLIVIOUS TO GRAVITY
OPENING TIMES BUILDING SOUND COMPOSITION & DOCUMENTATION - ADMITTANCE:
DO 24-09-15: 17H00/19H00 | FR 25-09-15: 17H00/19H00 | SA 26-09-15: 15H00/17H00 | SO 27-09-15: 15H00/17H00
FR 23-10-15: 17H00/19H00 | SA 24-10-15: 17H00/19H00.
ADDITIONAL OPENING TIMES DOCUMENTATION, 2. FLOOR:
FR 09-10-15: 15H00-18H00 | SA 10-10-15: 15H00-18H00 | SA 17-10-15: 15H00-18H00 | SO 18-10-15: 15H00-18H00
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2015/08/06 — Presentation of the {kA}: Editions #3 and #4 at Cologne Art Book Fair
From 13.08.2015 to 15.08.2015 the Chambers for Space Inquiries presents two new publications at the Cologne Art Book Fair taking place at Kunsthaus Rhenania.
Edition #3 »Graz2/Johannes« was written by the Chambers for Space Inquiries, Edition #4 »Wohnen, eine Polemik« by the artist duo REICHRICHTER.
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2015/04/20 — Lecture on Building-Sound Compositions at Music Biennale Zagreb
After completing the building-sound composition for and with the French Pavilion in Zagreb gksh gives a lecture on the series of works and the ensemble Chambers for Space Inquiries on 20th April, 3 p.m. at MM, SC Center, Savska cesta 25, 10000, Zagreb.
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2015/04/19 — Building-sound composition for the French Pavillion at the Music Biennale Zagreb
Curated by Davorka Begovic gksh will create a new work in the cause of the series of works “{kA} : Oblivious to Gravity” for the historical building of the French Pavillion at the Music Biennale Zagreb.
The new piece will be premiered at the opening of the biennale on 18th April at 12h59 p.m. Further concerts will be given the following seven nights at the same time.
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2015/03/01 — The Chambers will create two new building-sound compositions in 2015!
After one year of research we will show a building-sound composition in Cologne. Place and time will be announced until the end of March. A further work wil be presented at the French Pavillion within the programme of the Music Biennale Zagreb.
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2014/08/07 — Vacancy search Cologne
Despite an abundance of vacant buildings and numerous negotiations and contacts the Chambers have not yet been successful. Here are some buildings we have tried to acquire for the project.
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2014/03/22 — Building Soundcomposition in Cologne, next project phase has started
Since February 2014 we are on the lookout for suitable vacancies in the central of Cologne. Again it is remarkable how many interesting buildings in prominent locations are left unused for years. They disappear from public awareness during everyday life, nevertheless occupying space within it.
First contacts with property owners are promising. We are thankful for any contacts to broker’s offices, real estate companies or the like at this point.
The realization of the project is planned to take place June/July 2014
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2014/02/24 — {kA} : Print publications now online at issuu.com
All our print works are now published and animated at the online pubishing service www.issuu.com. This is a new step for the Chambers for Space Inquieries in publishing their artistic research questions and results from the last years.
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2013/08/28 — The Chambers for Space Inquiries at Musiknacht Cologne 2013 at St. Peter's Church
The Chambers for Space Inquiries will perform a spatial building-composition by using the issit (in situ sound installation tool) that was delveloped since 2010 and comprises a multichannel audio system with 32 speakers and software tools for the question and answer play with the site. This time the Chambers also use a turntable orchestra with eight identical devices and prepared LPs.
By this the spatial properties of the building, architecture and atmosphere will be acoustically tested and learned. The whole space of the church will become an integral constituent of the composition.
Nico Bergmann – issit, patches & turntables
Gerriet K. Sharma – issit, patches & turntables
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2013/07/30 — Annual Meeting of the Chambers for Space Inquiries
Between the 26th and 29th of July 2013 the annual meeting took place in Graz.
Several buildings for the photo exhibition and building-soundcomposition planned for end of November 2013 where visited. Further projects for 2014/15 where discussed. The Chambers for Space Inquiries will publish a new documentary about the building-soundcomposition 'Old Tannery - Murau' in September 2013.
Futher more there will be a new print publication series called {kA}: Edition dealing with the subject of space. Until the end of 2013 there will be three new publications within the {kA}: Edition.
Also on the schedule:
First planning of the building-soundcomposition in Cologne 2014.
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2013/06/14 — Publication in "Inszenierung und Effekte" Transcriptverlag
The Chambers for Spaces Inquiries has published a paper about Building-Soundcompositions in the book 'Inszenierung und Effekte' published at Transcriptverlag by Ralf Bohn and Heiner Wilharm.
>transcript
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2013/05/07 — SK-Stiftung Kultur Cologne supports 'Olivious to Gravity' in 2013/14
Thanks to a generous grant by the SK-Stiftung Kultur Cologne the development of a fourth building sound composition from the work series 'Oblivious to Gravity' will be possible.
From autumn 2013 a vacant building in the inner city of Cologne will be object of research by “The Chambers for Space Inquiries”.
Results will be published during 2014. Final presentation will take place at the end of 2014.
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2012/12/06 — keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft auf der Independent Publishing Cologne
Am Wochenende findet in der Kölner Galerie Schmidt & Handrup die Independent Publishing Cologne statt. die Kanzlei für Raumbefragung präsentiert dort ihre ersten drei Dokumentationen zur Werkreihe keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft. Die internationale Messe bietet unabhängigen Verlagen die Möglichkeit, sich selbst und ihre Künstlerpublikationen, Monographien, Zines und Kataloge zu präsentieren.
Samstag, 8. Dezember 2012, 12-19 Uhr
Sonntag, 9. Dezember 2012, 12-19 Uhr
Schmidt & Handrup Galerienhaus, Moltkestr. 81, 50674 Köln
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2012/10/19 — Astrid Mönnich joins The Chambers for Space Inquiries
Since October 2012 Astrid Moenich is a partner of The Chambers for Spce Inquries. She will be responsable for projectmanagement and research.
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2012/10/18 — Chambers for Space Inquiries will publish in the volume "Inszenierung und Effekt, transcript verlag" 2013
After giving a workshop at the 4th Scenographer’s Symposium 2012 in Dortmund, Gerriet K. Sharma was invited by Ralf Bohn and Heiner Wilharm to contribute an article about building compositions in the compendium “Inszenierung und Effekt, transcript verlag” to be publishe ind 2013.
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2012/07/22 — removal of the sound building composition at regionale 12
After one year of planning, two month of work and composition on sight and four weeks running time the sound building composition at ‘Alte Gerberei’ Murau has been removed. Due to the organizers data ca. 1000 people visited the work.
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2012/07/02 — {wiegenlied} : Murau - concert installation at regionale XII
On 6 and 7 July, 2012 a fourth acoustic space will be created on the roof top of the tannery.
As the original wares of the tannery were once hung out to dry here, all four sides of the roof truss have openings which expose the space to the city. Within this acoustic zone, which is washed over by, or, almost imbued with, the sounds of the city, Gerriet K. Sharma creates an additional acoustic environment: the acoustic installation titled Lullaby.
This installation was first composed between 2009 and 2010 for the impressive foyer of the Landesvertretung of German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Berlin. To achieve this, the sound artist travelled for a year capturing sounds throughout his home state, and then went on to create new sound fragments, rhythmic structures and timbres for this installation.
At each of the special events, the public will experience the interplay between the sound installation Lullaby and the ambient sounds of the Murau township.
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2012/06/22 — Opening of REGIONALE XII in Murau and surroundings
REGIONALE XII opens today in Murau and surroundings. The building composition in the old tannery (alte Gerberei) by Gerriet K. Sharma will be presented to the public for the first time.
After four weeks of testing and installation the building sound composition opens on friday 22. June 2012. The work can be experienced every day from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. until 22nd of July.
For the building compositions in the old tannery at Anna-Neumann-Straße 20 in Murau, the building has been divided into three acoustic zones. I. Cellar II. Living Area III. Workshop.
Each of these spaces has its own distinct sound properties due to its original use and construction. The artist discovered these distinct properties during an inquiry and interrogation phase lasting several weeks. He also researched the history of the building and analysed the surrounding soundscape.
His deliberations resulted in a compositional response: an installation with 32 loudspeakers. Thirty-six sound compositions, which are three to six minutes long, are set against the three zones within the building. Visitors to the installation can move freely about the building or can choose to linger in the seated areas provided by the sound artist Gerriet K. Sharma.
This way, the composed interplay between the building and the electro-acoustic soundscape can both function as an installation and as a concert where the visitor can appreciate the work when seated.
The visitor now becomes part of the composition—producing sounds that become part of the soundscape, or influencing, both visually and acoustically, how other visitors experience the space.
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2012/06/20 — Two documentations of {kA}: Oblivious to Gravity appeared
Two documentations already appear in the accompanying series of publications for the buildings Wurzburg/Villa03 and Graz/Sauraugasse respectively. The Publication Murau/Old Tannery appears in autumn 2012.
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2012/06/17 — Oblivious to Gravity at REGIONALE XII Region Murau
Within the project series {kA}: Oblivious to Gravity the sound artist Gerriet K. Sharma has been invited by the Austrian Festival for Contemporary Art and Culture REGIONALE XII. He explores acoustically an old tannery in Murau.
The festival takes place between June 22 and July 22, 2012.
The acoustic exploration of the spaces and the compositional work is nearly completed. On July 6 and 7 will be a concert taking place in the rooms of the old tannery.
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2012/02/10 — Participation in the festival regionale12 / Austria.
The third edition of the Austrian culture festival regionale12 will be presented in the dirstrict Murau (Upper Styria). Oblivious to Gravity will be continued with the exploration of the Alte Gerberei (old tannery).
The regionale12 will be opened on June 22, 2012 and last 4 weeks.
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2011/12/19 — Lecture Performance by Chambers for Space Inquiry at tanzhaus nrw, January 13, 2012
The lecture performance 'Room Reverb - between Manipulation, Simulation and Situation' takes place at the symposium 'Frequenzdialoge. Zum Medieneinsatz in Tanz und Medienkunst' and the festival Temps d’images 2012 at tanzhaus nrw, Dusseldorf.
We perceive roomes in their physical nature first and foremost through their quality of acoustic reverberation. Since reverberation can be technically manipulated or even be generated completely new, the auditory impression more and more fades away from the perception of the real physical space.
Today, artificially produced reverberation through sound studios has become norm. Using selected examples, the lecture deales with the function, the application and the effects of reverb creation tools through their history untill today.
At the end it asks, what will happen, if one perceive space again in this matter as the architectural acoustic allowes it.
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11/12/01 — Workshop at 4th Scenographer's Symposium, Dortmund, 28. - 30. November 2011
Two day workshop about sound-space-relations with students and participans of the symposium. Presentations wednesday evening and thursday morning.
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2011/08/17 — Concerts on August 29th and 30th 2011 in Graz
After the first building of {kA} : keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft was explored and investigated in Würzburg in July 2011, the next one follows already in August, namely in Graz.
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2011/07/30 — Completion of the building sound composition in the officers villa 3 in Hubland, Würzburg
After the four-week stay in the building the first building sound composition will be finished and presented to an audience. The photo and audio documentation will shortly be published on the website. Booklet, texts and recordings follow in autumn.
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2011/07/20 — Workshop in coooperation with the research studio for contemporary sound art in Würzburg
On July 20th and 21st the Chambers for Space Inquiries organize a workshop in the Würzburg Residence in cooperation with the research studio for contemporary sound art, currently founded by Prof. Elena Ungeheuer.
The basic workshop will last two days and will deal with sound composition and space.
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2011/06/08 — Gettig started... the first buildings are fixed.
We can now start the work on project {kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft. Recently two buildings in Austria and Germany have been fixed.
From July 1-30, we will work on a part of the Leighton Barracks in Würzburg, the former officers villa 3. One month later, from August 1-30 a building in Sauraugasse 4 is temporarily empty and available for our work.
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2011/02/18 — {kA}: goes live
The website {kA}: keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft — Kanzlei für Raumbefragungen goes live. Designed as a platform the website informs about news, concept, buildings, the chambers and links to other topics. Based on pictures, videos, soundfiles and texts the site helps to track the project’s ongoing process in the future.
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2011/01/12 — Research grant by the bm:wf (Ministry for Science and Research) 2010
The University of Music and Performance Arts Graz (KUG) awards a research grant by the bm:wf to Gerriet K. Sharma.
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2010/11/10 — The Land Styria supports {kA}: within the next three years
The culutural fund of Styria will support the “keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft” series until 2013.
The first and last piece will be situated and composed in Graz.
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2010/10/28 — First board meeting of the "Chambers for Space Enquiries"
Saskia Reither, Nico Bergmann & Gerriet K. Sharma found the 'Cambers for Space Enquiries'.
The chambers will initially organize, comment and document the project “keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft” (Oblivious to Gravity) within the next three years.
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2010/01/15 - Gerriet K. Sharma writes developes the concept of {kA} . keine Ahnung von Schwerkraft - Oblivious to Gravity