JSC X REIF
EVENTIDE BY FA‘ PAWAKA & LABOUR
15 SEPTEMBER 2022 – 16 SEPTEMBER 2022
15 & 16 September 2022, 8:00 & 10:00 p.m.
Doors open: 7:30 p.m.
Duration: 90 minutes
Admission is free
RSVP (limited capacity)
15.9.2022, 08:00 p.m. – 09:30 p.m.
15.9.2022, 10:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
16.9.2022, 08:00 p.m. – 09:30 p.m.
16.9.2022, 10:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Within the framework of the group exhibition 'at dawn', JULIA STOSCHEK FOUNDATION and REIF are excited to premiere a new, site-specific collaboration between the multidisciplinary artist Fa’ Pawaka and the sonic duo LABOUR, uniting Pawaka’s practice of “sacred tunings” with LABOUR’s “sonic activations.” Titled Eventide, the evening will consist of a sonic parcours led by the artists and will culminate in a sound bath in the upstairs cinema.
The program is assembled by Berlin-based collective REIF, and explores notions of recalibration and expansion, proposing a deliberate undoing of preconceived ideas and limitations within and around us. It centers the experience of the audience and represents a continuation of REIF’s past explorations, often manifested as gatherings, LPs, and videos, which have been developed through its record label and events. REIF was founded around ideas of collective, community-based engagement through which they seek to enable various forms of togetherness and release.
According to a quote by Alice Coltrane, from which at dawn, the exhibition’s title, is borrowed, every morning–at dawn–we should “sit at the feet of action.” This saying encourages us to recalibrate and set an intention and goes on to suggest that, at eventide (or evening), we should become so big that “sky will learn sky.” Eventide can refer to the space of a day but also of a lifetime, and conjures a state in which we are open to the universe, becoming conduits for what the cosmos has to offer. In their activation Fa’ Pawaka and LABOUR work toward this recalibration and sonic catharsis, inviting us to listen and feel our bodies in relation to each other and everything around us.
Fa‘ Pawaka, a.k.a. Fahrani Empel, a.k.a. favelamunk, is a multidisciplinary Indonesian artist that lives in Berlin. In the last four years, she has worked with alchemy crystal bowls, fascinated by their healing qualities and the body’s immediate calm in response to them. Sacred Tuning is an immersive experience that releases psychological blockages, lowers emotions, and activates our pineal gland. It was created with Olle Holmberg and Elisa Lindenberg. “Our cells are made out of crystalline structures; therefore, the crystal bowl’s frequencies are received by humans directly at the cellular level in the process,” Fa’ says. “It is a powerful activation.”
LABOUR is the collaborative project of Farahnaz Hatam and Colin Hacklander, whose compositions and performances center on the transformative potential of sound. Trained in molecular biology, Hatam works primarily with SuperCollider, a complex platform for audio synthesis and algorithmic composition that is a language unto itself. Hacklander is a percussionist, drummer, and composer, with a background in post-tonal theory and electronic music. As LABOUR, they compose ambitious and reverently experimental audio works. Their practice promotes active listening and heightened sensory awareness, which form the core of their “sonic activations” series that continues their exploration of acoustic space as a potentially radical gesture. The name LABOUR is inspired in part by an early definition of Marx that gives ontological significance to the realm of work, as articulated by the philosopher Christopher J. Arthurs, who defines labor as “the ontologically fundamental productive activity in and through which one becomes what one is.”
REIF is a multifaceted cultural movement and a loose alliance of international artists that takes the shape of records and community activities. The primary interest of the collective is to curate events and programs which include different expressions of thought, identity, play, experience, and togetherness. In parallel to their first label release, the compilation 01 (December 2021) which featured artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Cali Rose, Karl Holmqvist, ASMARA, rRoxymore, and Jeff Mills, REIF curated a four-part program called Sonic Catharsis for Centre D’Art Contemporain Genève. The follow-up compilation, 02 (June 2022), presented 26 new tracks by Crystallmess, CEM, Ron Trent, Carminho, Richie Culver, Emma DJ, BABYNYMPH, and No Bra, among others. REIF is currently a resident at Berghain/Panorama Bar in Berlin.
Sainkho Namtchylak, born in Tuva on the border to Mongolia, is a singer, poet, writer, performer and painter educated in music ethnography and voice teaching at Akademie of Gnesin in Moscow. Namtchylak has released multiple free jazz albums, published two books of poetry, and exhibited in Austria, China, Russia, and Italy.
Roberta Jurcic works as an architect at the bplus.xyz office in Berlin and teaches at the Design Studio s+ at ETH in Zürich. In her practice she investigates the connection between housing shortages in city centers and the privatization of land, and has co-founded the initiative Global Moratorium on New Construction.
GRAU is an interdisciplinary artist duo that explores how living light can mediate the emotional relationship between humans and their environment through immersive installations, sculptures, and products.
In a landscape dominated by off-the-shelf mass-produced sound systems, H.A.N.D. HiFi specializes in building unique audio experiences, particular to each surrounding. The prototype used in Eventide at JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION was originally designed to be set-up as four-point system on a dance floor with roughly 150 sq.m. Displayed as a wall, listeners are confronted with all the sound coming from the same plane.
Show Choir, a newly founded performative mixed choral ensemble organized by Jessica Gadani and Anna von Glasenapp, intents to create a space for Berlin’s artists and performers to come together in song. In a very literal sense, individual voices are developed through a regular practice of harmonic togetherness.
Zakaria Rugs aims to restore the individual commitment to handcrafted goods, neglected through fast-paced, mass-produced, unsustainable production cycles. For Eventide, Zakaria Rugs’ founder Philip Rosenberger presents a 100m2 rug installation at JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION including multiple collaborations with multidisciplinary artists, such as Frédérique Gagnon (CA), Lamas Burgariotti (ARG) and Fred Heinsohn (DE).
The performance will take place in non-barrier-free parts of JSC Berlin. We are happy to offer assistance with prior notification.
A special thanks to Callie’s, Berlin for providing studio space.
With the generous support of Nike ISPA.
ISPA is a philosophy. A set of design principles that represents a pinnacle, experimental expression of Nike design across all categories, including the latest innovations and established creations. It is product-agnostic, driven by experimentation and targeted toward solving problems for unique athletes and artists.
ISPA is a belief that, with a little inspiration, any problem can be solved with the materials at hand.
ARTIST LIST
Fa' Pawaka, LABOUR, Sainkho Namtchylak, Roberta Jurcic, GRAU , H.A.N.D. HiFi , Show Choir , Zakaria Rugs