Launch of the tekhnē publication
The publication focuses on the technologies, tools and techniques that form an important part of the apparatus of music-making. It is based on the observation that cultures are shaped more by the way in which technologies are used than by the intention behind their design. Although developed with specific purposes in mind and designed within particular socio-political contexts, these technologies can be transcended through autonomous use, allowing new constellations and insights to emerge. Historically, new technologies have often opened up spaces in this way for marginalised or excluded artists to realise their music without the constraints of manuals or a canon.
Although technology has always been an important determinant for the creation of music, the advent of electricity and electronic musical instruments brought about rapid change, giving rise to a wave of new formats, sounds, proceedings or relations to the public. As new technologies have destabilised and pluralised traditional ideas of mastery, they have changed not only what music sounds like, but also who it is produced by.
The contributions in this book came about during a four-year joint research project, exploring aspects of the aforementioned. They discuss the materiality of tools, their ecological impact and the emergence of artificial intelligence. They honour the possibilities of vernacular craft, of hacking and open-source cultures, and the role that spaces play in creating inclusive cultures. They unbox technologies with an aim to understand and demystify these technologies and to use them freely and in alternative ways.
The tekhnē project was carried out by Q-O2 werkplaats Brussels (BE), CTM Festival Berlin (DE), GMEA Albi (FR), OUT.RA/OUT.FEST Barreiro (PT), Skaņu mežs Riga (LT) and TRAFO and Akademia Sztuki Szczecin (PL). This publication contains contributions by Abigail Toll, Alison O'Daniel, Artūrs Puntē, Cécile Babiole, Edil Bayizbekov, Elijah Maja, Félix Blume, Femke Snelting, Ioana Vreme Moser & Lottie Sebes, Joost Rekveld, Jorge Juan B. Wieneke V, Kate Carr, Leif Elggren, Liga Pentiusha, Marcin Pietruszewski, Marie Thompson, Mauro Diciocia, Natalia Glinka-Hebel on Jasmine Guffond, Pierce Warnecke & Matthew Biederman, Robert Barry, Sholto Dobie, Shortwave Collective, Sonia Soraya & Edouard Sufrin, Soumaya Phéline, Verena Kuni, Yann Lequay and Yara Mekawel & Gascia Ouzounian.
The tekhnē publication will be launched on October 22, 2026 (Thursday) at 14:30, during the upcoming Tekhnē Symposium.
https://www.trafo.art/en/sympozjum-tekhne
Photo: Dominika Głowala