‘Flossie & Adel’ was the artist synonym of the collective Lisa Premke and Lena von Döhren. From 2005 – 2009, they worked with a collection of more than 500 speakers – using them as bricks to build landscapes, figures or shapes for interactive audio plays. With up to 36 single mono channels the sound travels around the space or from object to object.
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Skinned, Dance Performance by Mirjam Gurtner
The Swiss Choreographer Mirjam Gurtner created this piece about control, safety and the unfamiliar. Taken place in different settings such as gallery spaces or dance stages, the stage and sound design is always site specific – bearing in mind that for this piece, the risk-taking and desire for control applies to the audience as well. In addition to live recordings and recorded music, we place the audience within the dance space – such as floor boundaries or the sharing of stages / seats.
Trailer:
Skinned Roxy Theater Basel, 2018
Skinned 48h Neukölln, 2019
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Back to the temple of the sun, 2014, Feature film by Marco Pando
Experimental road movie follows in the tracks of Tintin, who set off with Captain Haddock to Peru in the comic-strip album The Temple of the Sun (Le temple du soleil, 1949) to liberate Professor Calculus from the claws of the bloodthirsty Incas.
2018
The outer circle of the water tower is closed with a total of over 20km of chain. Like curtains, the chains are hung in the 60 windows. Through the windy location, the chains are set in motion, bang against each other and produce thousands of quiet noises. The different materials of the chains (one material per floor) cause different sounds. Viewed from inside, one sees the landscape through the various patterns of the chains which change over time, e.g. by oxidation. The project is part of the Pepper House Residency for the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2018.
Singing Patterns, Acoustic installation in public space (Willingdon island, Kerala, India), approx. height 25m, ø 15m; Dog Chain, Rain Chain, Acrylic Chain Curtain, Bamboo, Rope
Singing Patterns, Series of drawings, different sizes, watercolor on recycled paper
Singing Patterns, Installation( Exhibition Pepperhouse Kochi), Size variable; chains, ventilators, bamboo trees
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing help and effort of the Kochi Muziris Biennale Foundation and the Goethe Institut Bangalore.
In August I’ll be taking part in a group show in the Bärenzwinger Berlin, a place I also visited when the bears of Berlin were still ‘living’ there. Exhibition opens on the 8.8.2019 ! More news to coming very soon.
In September I’m returning to India for a residency at the TIFA in Pune. Very honored and excited to have been awarded the cultural exchange stipend of the Berlin Senate to do some research for a few months in India. Updates coming soon!
I was nominated for the Neukölln Kunstpreis (art prize) 2019. Really happy and grateful to show my piece ‘Of patterns narrating themselves’ again and to have won! Many thanks to the jury, Galerie Saalbau Neukölln and Kulturnetzwerk Neukölln.
It’s December and Kochi Muziris Biennale Pepperhouse Residents show is open! It was an absolute pleasure to work with the whole Biennale team, the Goethe Bangalore and of course my many amazing helpers who brought this big water tower to live. Thanks yous!
Head to Willilngdon Island to see and listen to my work.
It turned from this: to this:
Juli – In residence at the Pepperhouse Kochi in India to prepare a work as part of the Kochi Biennale at Pepperhouse 2018. Thanks to the Goethe Institute for the invitation and support.
Adlershof Journal, Print and Online Publication, 2018
Exhibition @ Goldrausch 2017, Studio1 Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin
Here’s my new Catalogue ‘Zwischen Lauten’ !
Designed by the great Delia Keller (Gestaltung Berlin) and with a beautiful text by Maurin Dietrich.
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(Of patterns narrating themselves), 2017
Acoustic objects, 2017
Thousands of threads are pulled over the stretched blankets and with the aid of a motor mechanism dozens are constantly moving, rubbing against the fabric. A soft sound is created. The materiality of the threads as well as their run are reflecting the social-historical context of the found blankets. The slow movement and soft material of the woolen threads create a whispering sound that forces viewers to approach the work
The object series deals with the process of storytelling and processes this originally aural, mutable tradition – which defines itself in textiles as a binding pattern – back into acoustic narratives.
Von Mustern, die sich erzählen (7 HZ) 183,5x171x16cm; Handwoven peruvian wool-blanket, wool threads, wood, motor, sound
Von Mustern, die sich erzählen (50 HZ) 248x206x15cm; royal bed-cover, wool and polyester threads, wood, motor, Arduino circuit board
Languitecture is a project by Nadine Hattom, Joe Hornby, Marco Pando, Lisa Premke, Rawan Serhan and Eduardo Suarez; a year-long process to explore interconnections of the four mother-tongues Spanish, Arabic, English and German.
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Flat Mountain, High Mountain, 2017
Drawing on paper1: 48x77cm; Animation1: 00:10min
Drawing on paper2: 48x77cm; Animation2: 00:08min
Do original names of places correlate to their physical presence, e.g a mountain size/shape correlates to what it would sound like if it could speak? A place is being named, trying to attribute all the qualities phonetically and when the landscape changes or the word travels, it becomes much more of a word-object and looses the phonetic connection to the place.
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Whispers, 2017; 5 thread drawings on newspaper, various sizes; 1 animation with sound, 2:02min
The thread drawings visualize frequency changes of sound waves when they bounce off one or two surfaces and relate it to how a sentence changes meaning when playing the telephone game.
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Nesting, 2017; Threads on canvas, Motor, Sound
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WWhHHATT WOOULD GGOOOD DOO?? (morse), 2017; Metal rods, Motor, drum skin (round), sound drawing: Metal rods in paper (morse code)
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Lisa Premke studied first architecture and later Fine Arts at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Already in her studies she started to work with correlating architecture and sound and deepened this interested during her Masters of Sound at the Glasgow School of Arts. Her large-scale architectonic sound installations predominantly link to the site with their contexts, aesthetics and audio. Her work examines the voice of objects and spaces to personify collective losses. Lisa works as well as a sound designer for film, stage and audio plays and organises exhibitions and artists residencies in unusual places.
Lisa lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
Interview Kochi Muziris Biennale Foundation
Interview Katalog
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(click on images to see articles)
https://www.art-in-berlin.de/incbmeld.php?id=4933
Selected coverage of Kochi Muziris Biennale, 2018, Pepperhouse residency exhibition:
Adlershof Journal, print March 2018
The Arab Weekly, online Oct. 2016
BegehungenYoutube Channel, 2015
K.A.I.R Youtube Channel, 2014
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© Lisa Premke. All rights reserved.
Hans-Schmidt-Str.4, 12489 Berlin
lisa.premke@gmail.com
lisapremke.com lisapremke.de
Supported by Goldrausch art IT
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Languitecture, since 2016
Languitecture is a study of the languages English, German, Spanish and Arabic. How is a language perceived in an acoustic sense and what socio-historic circumstances settle a language in a certain frequency range? The sound sculptures use movement of different materials to make specific characteristic of each language visible; e.g. the velocity, intonation, use of consonants, frequency range or the utilization of vocal cords, etc..
Hards (German); 2016, 135x15x15cm, Ø 15-120cm; wood, motor, Arduino motor control
Highs (English), 2016, 41x41x10, ø 82-104cm; Sawing blades, plastic coffee stirrers, motor
Scrapes (Arabic), 2016, 50x70x10cm; Sandpaper discs, wood, motors
Smooths (Spanish), 2016, 20x50x40cm; Paint brushes, metal plate, carpet, wood, motor
Languitecture is a project by Nadine Hattom, Joe Hornby, Marco Pando, Lisa Premke, Rawan Serhan and Eduardo Suarez; a year-long process to explore interconnections of the four mother-tongues Spanish, Arabic, English and German.
Originals: Highs, Hards, Smooths, Scrapes (2016)
4 Kinetic Sound Sculptures; various materials
Iteration I: Flat Mountain, High Mountain (2016)
Drawing on paper1: 48x77cm: Animation1: 00:10min Drawing on paper2: 48x77cm; Animation2: 00:08min
Iteration II: Whispers (2016)
5 thread drawings on newspaper; various sizes; 1 animation with sound, 2:02min
Iteration III: Nesting (2016)
Kinetic Sound Installation
Canvas, threads and motor (400mm x 500mm)
Iteration IV: Stutter (2016)
Kinetic Sound Installation
drumhead, metal rods, motor
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2014
series of 5 drawings; various sizes; coal/ pencil/ watercolour on bleached Romanian architecture silk screen prints (1960)
4 drawings; various sizes; newspaper/pencil/ watercolor/thread on newspaper cut-outs
2015
During a residency in Chemnitz I investigated the leftovers of the textile industry; after the1990ies the former East German stronghold had an immense industry decline. I was struck by the remoteness of the city, even though it’s not small and well connected. But because it lost its economical heart after the reunification of Germany, there was still a big loss visible that extended far beyond the economic deficiency.
I started to research the remnants of the former stronghold of the textile industry, which are still very much present today and I worked together with former factory employees, the local museum and some small remaining textile companies, to listen to the stories, recalling of the audible memory and recording all the old machines. Each machine could make up to 100dB of noise and many of the workers were hard of hearing or deaf after decades of working on one machine. The change of the acoustic landscape for each person but also throughout town after the abrupt industry decline must have been immense. I was fascinated by the acoustics and incredible beauty of these old machines and decided to (re)create a machine that transforms the heavy hammering of the textile machines into a more subtle repetitive sound, trying to remember and at the same time reimagine the use of the machinery.
The metal plates on the ground are covered with 1000 magnets that keep the 1000 needles, which are hanging on sewing threads from the ceiling slightly above the plate, centered. Repetitively, three motors are pushing the long metal plate slightly up, the needles touch their magnet, create each a clicking sound, and spring back into air when the metal plate straightens out again.
Asymmetrische Information, Sound Sculpture, 300x100x280cm; metal plates/threats/magnets/ needles/motors
Asymmetrische Information, Series of thread collages/stitching; various sizes
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Cosmic construction, 2015; Sound Sculpture
200cmx80cmx80cm; Greaseproof paper/ wood/ desk fans
Incidental monotony, 2015; Sound Sculpture
size variable; Ventilator/ fishing rods/ metal stick
Part of the solo-exhibition ‘cosmic construction’ at the weisser elefant, Berlin.
2015, Acoustic Object
300x280x150cm; metal plates, motors, wood, Sound
Part of the solo-exhibition ‘cosmic construction’ at the weisser elefant, Berlin.
2015, Installation/Performance
Size variable; speaker-backpacks/ wood /microphones/ amplifiers/ singing boys
Hide & Amplify is a permanent interactive installation and vocal performance with six speaker-backpacks and six young singers who are spread around the room, singing one by one against the wall. Like a Chinese whispers, each slightly changes the tune or intonation when its his turn. In the performance, the desire of being noticed publicly is mixed and compared with the aural behaviors of the private. The performers sing in microphones against the wall, hiding their faces from the audience, and each have a speaker-backpack on his back. However, they do not sing in their own speaker backpack, but each in a different one of a singer in the other end of the room. This way, every singer carries the acoustic load of another co-performer.
Part of the solo-exhibition ‘cosmic construction’ at the weisser elefant, Berlin.
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2014; Sound Installation
400cmx400cm; linden seed pods, music, sound plinth
Together with the incredible artist duo Gethan&Myles this collaboration piece was developed for the Kosice White night, 2014.
The social seclusion was rather dominant during the residency and apart from all somehow working with language, I think this work also reflects on the connections we desire to have and the disconnections we feel towards the other nonetheless. The 2173 linden seed pods, the dancing seed sound sculpture and the entry with Blind Lemon Jefferson’s song ‘I want to be like Jesus in my heart’ intend to remind of these disconnections. Both elements of the installation physically force a certain approach from the audience; around the linden circle the audience needs to behave calm and with considerable distance not to destroy the fragile positioning while the plinth asks to bow, step close and only gives a slight possibility to see and listen how the seeds dance/drum. The Linden seeds are the number of fatalities in the Palestine/Israel conflict during our residency period. These conflicts feel interchangeable from far away, so using a common european natural product also poses the question if we dare, want or should link ourselves to the other and take responsibility of what happens outside of our familiar environment.
Thick skin was developed during a three month residency in Slovakia at k.a.i.r. and wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of the Goethe Institut in Bratislava.
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2014
‘The aesthetics of heritage’ plays with the original use of the voice and a communication without human language; investigating the natural and sophisticated voice control and trying to teach one to mimic the other.
The Czechoslovakian wolfdog is a breed between German Shepard and wolf that, in an experiment of the army (ČSR), was bred to protect the border between east and west. The wolfdog has an incredible vocal range of up to three octaves when howling. In opposition of this wordless and primary use of the voice is the most cultivated and controlled form of voice: opera singing. The opera piece is divided in three acts, trying to form a choir of singers and dogs in a huge, strongly reverberating underground parking lot, simulating the echoes that carry wolfs howling over valleys and mountains. In the first act the four singers use operatic language to imitate the intonation and pitches of wolf howling. The second act, half of the performers sing a classical composition, while the other already try to howl. In the last act, all performers howl, hoping for the wolfs to join. The cages are made of old fences and window barriers from the area.
The aesthetics of heritage, Performance/ Installation, Kosice White Night, Kaserna Kulturpark, Size variable; metal cages/ Czechoslovakian wolfdogs /opera singers
This project wouldn’t have been possible without these incredible performers: Silvia Pasnisinova, Janette Zsigova, Alzbeta Smolinkova and Pavol Cebak. Also special thanks to Lukáš Bača and Viktor Veliky and their dogs.
‘The aesthetics of heritage’ was developed during a three month residency in Slovakia at k.a.i.r. and wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of the Goethe Institut in Bratislava.
‘Lost cinemas’, 2010, Serie von 12/ 14cm x 14cm/ Papier Cut-Outs
In den 1930’er Jahren erlebte Großbritannien einen starken Anstieg an neuen Kinobauten, von denen viele mit der Zeit verloren gehen oder umfunktioniert worden. Die Fassaden dieser besonderen Konstruktionen sind hier schablonenartig festgehalten
2008; Site-specific Installation ( Hoyerswerda Plattenbau)
500cmx600cmx400cm; Concrete slab walls
The temporary piece was made during a one month residency in Hoyerswerda (ep-residency), a former mining town in East Germany. Almost all of the especially for workers constructed Plattenbauten (building made from prefabricated slabs), as well as this one, were being demolished due to a drastic negative growth of the population. The concrete cut-outs are depicting the classic facade of the building. Similar to the beginning ideology of the Plattenbauten, the left-over mini-slabs could be used as building bricks, constructing small new housing ideologies.
2013, Site-specific Performance/ Installation
Size variable; opera singers, metal plates, motors
In a former underground water reservoir I realized a performative installation with eight opera singers. Leaning on the story of Echo and Narcissus I composed a four act musical piece for the specific space- that has a incredible long time of reverberation. The tunnel-like round space is divided in 32 open chambers. In every 4th chamber one singer was placed and only them and their chambers were illuminated. The audience moved through the space, passing the singers closely.
In the first act I wanted to refer to Echos pre-Narcissus time, where the nymph was gossiping for the gods. The singers each sing continuously one note of the tonal ladder (CDEFGABC). While the viewer moves within the space, the tonal ladder is made audible through his/her movement, like being a play button.
In the second act Echo lost her ability to choose her own words. The first 2 singers sing the original tune while the following 3 couples repeat the tune but slightly change it’s intonation.
The third part places all the opera singers in front of 6 metal sheets, singing for several minutes as high as they can. It signifies the ending of the myth where Narcissus rejects Echos love and falls in love with his mirror image in a lake instead. Because of the large metal plates in the back, the high frequencies do cancel each other out, which results in an intriguing but painful new resonance body in the ears of the viewers. The sound waves tangle in the outer ear and it becomes physical.
In the last act, the singers are no longer present and the metal plates begin to make sound by themselves. Each of the six plates has a different tone, depending on the metal and pulling force. Small motors pull each plate back and quickly release them, creating a large dripping sounds; a repetitive echo.
Deine Arbeiten sind auf den ersten Blick stark visuell, mit Geräuschelementen. Siehst du dich selbst als Klangkünstlerin?
Das stimmt, und ich denke, das kommt durch meinen Hintergrund in der visuellen Kunst und Architektur. Ich habe das Visuelle immer als was vollkommen Stilles, beinah Totes, wahrgenommen. Es ist für mich ein Raum, sei es eine Malerei oder Installation, die der Besucher mit Leben füllt. Also habe ich das Geräusch zuerst als Störenfried gesehen- und mit dem muss man sich dann zwangsweise intensiv auseinander setzen.
Das visuelle Gerüst entsteht also zuerst und du suchst das passende Geräusch dazu?
Nein, so ist es eigentlich selten. Als ich Anfing mit Sound zu arbeiten, war es eher eine Zwangsverbindung, Visuelles und Hörbares mussten eins sein, das Gleiche. Eine Wende war für mich ganz klar ‚The Chapel’, meine erste architektonische raumspezifische Klanginstallation in der das visuelle und das Geräusch klar getrennt sind aber nicht ohne einander funktionieren. Als ich anfing in den Raum zu arbeiten, gefiel mir die Idee dass die Besucher die Arbeiten der anderen Künstler zuerst hören, also installierte ich Mikrofone die die Geräusche/Gespräche der Besucher in der Galerie direkt in die Lautsprecherwand führten. Dies hat natürlich auch mit Offenheit und Geheimnissen zu tun und der Konfrontation der Besucher/Künstler mit der Arbeit. Dafür brauchte ich also einen Raum, der den Besucher in die Position eines heimlichen Lauschers drückt, das Gefühl einer Kapelle oder auch eines Beichtstuhls. Es ist also das erste Mal, dass ich einen Raum für ein Geräusch geschaffen habe und umgekehrt ein Geräusch für einen Raum.
Ist es auch die erste Arbeit in der der Zuschauer aktiv teilnimmt?
Im Grunde denke ich, dass der Zuschauer immer bei jeder Kunst aktiv teilnehmen kann. Aber es ist wohl ein Unterschied, wenn man jemanden dazu zwingt eine bestimmte Position einzunehmen.
Wie hier im Wasserspeicher hast du schon vor einem Jahr angefangen mit Personen zu arbeiten- hat dies mit der aktiven Partizipation zu tun?
Nein, das kommt im Grunde durch meinen Zugang zum Klang. Ich arbeite mit Klang, weil dies für mich nicht greifbar ist, nicht klar erinnerbar und trotzdem unglaublich intim. Es ist unaufhaltbar, weil man gar nicht nicht hinhören kann. Bevor ich mich mit Sound auseinandergesetzt habe, hatte ich immer große Angst, dass meine Arbeiten aufdringlich sind. Das Vertraulichste im Klang-Bereich ist für mich die Stimme weil man selber auch immer Produzent ist. Klang ist eine Möglichkeit für mich Intimität mit meinem unnahbaren Visuellen Prozess zu verbinden.
Als ich letztes Jahr im ländlichen Portugal die Künstlerresidenz gemacht habe wollte ich ursprünglich ein Gebäude für die Geräusche der Landschaft bauen, einen ‚Aural lookout’[2]. Aber nach kurzer Zeit wurde nach wurde mir die Demografie deutlicher und in den Gesprächen mit den wenigen verbliebenden älteren Einwohnern spiegelte deren Einsamkeit die Kargheit und Weite der Landschaft wieder. Die Alten sprachen von den riesigen Festen und Liedern der Vergangenheit, sahen sich nun aufgrund der bergigen Landschaft und ihrer Immobilität fast nie. Sie nahm ihren Gesang getrennt voneinander auf und sie sangen sehr schüchtern da sie sich nicht an einzelne Strophen erinnern konnten. Da sie alle vereinsamt in ihren leeren Dörfern wohnten, kam die Idee sie mit diesem lokalen Volkslied im Aural Lookout zusammen zu bringen, wenn auch nur klanglich. Ich installierte den Aural Lookout auf einem kleinen Wasserspeicherhäuschen der alle Dörfer im Tal überblickte und im Inneren des Speichers installierte ich Lautsprecher. Durch das Wasser im Speicher wurde der Gesang natürlich stark reverberiert und die Besucher hörten das nun einheitliche Lied (weil jeder Alte natürlich andere Passagen wusste, führte dies zum fast kompletten Lied) durch Kopfhörer in dem oben installierten Aussichtsturm hören.
Dann ist die Arbeit im Wasserspeicher dein erstes Projekt mit Live-Performance?
Ja. Ich habe im Rahmen einer Filmproduktion mit einer Opernsängerin gearbeitet und fand dieses Gefühl unglaublich- wenn jemand in einem engen Raum nur für dich singt. Der Wasserspeicher hat mich durch seine fantastische Akustik und Architektur gleich dazu animiert, mit Sängern zu arbeiten. Ich arbeite schon seit einiger Zeit mit der Abstraktion der Stimme, und in dieser Stimm-phase habe ich den alten Mythos von Echo und Narziss für mich wiederentdeckt. Für die acht Opernsängerinnen im Wasserspeicher habe ich das Stück „Echo Echo“ komponiert, ein musikalisches Stück in drei Akten dass sich lose an Echo’s drei Komponenten der Geschichte anlehnt: ihre Plauderzeit, ihr Unvermögen der freien Wortwahl und schließlich ihre verkannten Liebeswiederholungen. Die Stahlplatten führen zur Abstraktion der Stimme und sind die Überreste des Aufwands. Sie fangen erst an selber zu spielen wenn die Performance vorbei ist. Es war wunderbar mit diesen acht Opernsängerinnen zu arbeiten und ich bin Ihnen sehr dankbar denn sie haben diese unbehagliche Intimität, die ich mir so erhofft hatte, mit ihrer Ernsthaftigkeit und ihrem Engagement erst erschaffen.
Die ortspezifische Arbeitsweise zieht sich durch deine ganzen Projekte.
Ich werde stark von einem Ort beeinflusst und inspiriert, aber mit einer Idee beschäftige schon lange vor der Ortswahl. Normalerweise arbeite ich an einem Projekt um dann nur die Essenz herauszufiltern und ein scheinbar neues Projekt auf den bestimmten Ort zuzuschneiden. So war es auch jetzt mit den beiden letzten Projekten. Vor der Ausstellung in Steglitz habe ich mich monatelang mit Objekten beschäftigt, die unendlich langsam ihre Form verändern. Als ich dann längere Zeit in dem Ausstellungsraum verbracht habe, fasste ‚Shadow Rorschach’ plötzlich alles zusammen, womit ich mich lange so umständlich auseinandergesetzt hatte.
Tagesspiegel, print Oct.2017
Berlin Kicks, online 2015