Nik Nowak (de) - Interview at Sonica Festival in Ljubljana

Ljubljana - November 22, 2013

Nik Nowak performed with Panzer in Ljubljana in November 2013 during the Sonica Festival and in support of the Radio […]

Nik Nowak performed with Panzer in Ljubljana in November 2013 during the Sonica Festival and in support of the Radio Student. In the interview he talks about his background and process, the ideas behind Panzer and his ongoing research on mobile sound system cultures across the globe.

Nik Nowak’s Panzer (2011) is a sound system made from metal frame of garbage container which works on the principle of hydraulics. It is made in the manner of Jamaican sound systems but places itself in contemporary sound research that problematize sound as the mean of manipulation and control of the crowds in contemporary society. The project is thus a crossroad of contemporary theoretical research in the field of sound, sound art, popular culture and scientific research in the field of military technologies. Panzer works as mobile sound system which through the form of intervention in public spaces reflects Jamaican musical culture from 70′s that is highly present in modern club culture and in electronic dance music. Panzer is an excellent example of coexistence of different concepts in contemporary sound art and in popular culture. The work was premiered at Todays Art festival 2012 and later on CTM in Berlin.

Nik Nowak is younger German artist, who lives and works in Berlin. Between 2001-2007 he studied Fine Arts at Universität der Künste (UdK) and finsished his master degree by prof. Lotar Baumgartner. Later on he studied also in Shanhgai and New York City. In his work Nowak is entering the traces of electornic music in the contemporary art environment, in the field of sculptures that has in Germany more than thirty years of tradition under the term Klangkünste. In wider context we can place his work in sound art. He is most interested in mobile, moving sound sculptures, which at the same time operate as mobile sound systems with which he is penetrating gallery spaces, clubs and public spaces in the form of sonic intervetions. He has so far present his work in Den Haag, moscow, Berlin, Hamburg, Wien and Shanghai.

www.motamuseum.com
www.artisttalk.eu

Tags:
• electronic
• festival
• installation
• intermedia art
• live performance
• music
• Nik Nowak
• Sonica