Past exhibition

ON AIR
The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s
Kaiser Wilhelm Museum

The Kunstmuseen Krefeld are dedicating an exhibition titled On Air to the invisible material of sound in the art of the 1950s to ’70s. In this experimental period, boundaries in art were broken down, and artists processed materials that had previously played no role in the art context. Sounds, tones, noises, signals, and voices also became “substantial” sculptural material. Hearing now enriched sensual perception. Starting with machine sculptures, sound flowed into genres such as performance, installation, and new media, which were just beginning to emerge. The focus is on sound objects by artists such as, among others, Yaakov Agam, Joseph Beuys, Hermann Goepfert, Jannis Kounellis, Bruce Nauman, Robert Rauschenberg, Jean Tinguely, David Tudor and Timm Ulrichs. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog (German/English).

Curator: Dr. Sylvia Martin

Cooperation with
Museum Tinguely, Basel

Zwischen Musik, Performance und Klangkunst

Das Musikwissenschaftliche Institut der Universität zu Köln begleitet die Ausstellung ON AIR mit einem Seminar im Wintersemester 2022/2023. Studierende haben eine Playlist mit Werken von Komponist:innen und Musiker:innen kuratiert, die das Plastische und Räumliche in ihrem Schaffen thematisiert.

David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics  
Rainforest V (Version 2), 1973/2015  
Sound-object installation, consisting of 20 objects, each with its own sound archive,  
Dimensions variable  
Edition: 2/4  
Collection Museum der Moderne Salzburg, purchased with funds from the Generali Foundation  
© David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics Inc. / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics
Rainforest V (Version 2), 1973/2015
Sound-object installation, consisting of 20 objects, each with its own sound archive,
Dimensions variable
Edition: 2/4
Collection Museum der Moderne Salzburg, purchased with funds from the Generali Foundation
© David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics Inc. / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Hermann Goepfert  
Optophonium, 1961/62  
Soundobjekt, Holz, Metall, Farbe, 57 Aluminiumplatten, 6 Lampen, Tonband, Lautsprecher  
181 × 288 x 31,5 cm  
Slg. Kunstmuseen Krefeld  
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021
Hermann Goepfert
Optophonium, 1961/62
Soundobjekt, Holz, Metall, Farbe, 57 Aluminiumplatten, 6 Lampen, Tonband, Lautsprecher
181 × 288 x 31,5 cm
Slg. Kunstmuseen Krefeld
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021
David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics  
Rainforest V (Version 2), 1973/2015  
Sound-object installation, consisting of 20 objects, each with its own sound archive,  
Dimensions variable  
Edition: 2/4  
Collection Museum der Moderne Salzburg, purchased with funds from the Generali Foundation  
© David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics Inc. / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics
Rainforest V (Version 2), 1973/2015
Sound-object installation, consisting of 20 objects, each with its own sound archive,
Dimensions variable
Edition: 2/4
Collection Museum der Moderne Salzburg, purchased with funds from the Generali Foundation
© David Tudor & Composers Inside Electronics Inc. / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)  
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)  
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)  
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)  
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)  
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)  
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
ON AIR. The Sound of the Material in the Art of the 1950s to 1970s, Kunstmuseen Krefeld / Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, 2022 (Installation view)
Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Joseph Beuys & Henning Christiansen  
Celtic + ~~~~, 1971  
Video installation, 2 monitors, 2 Shibaden t9 video tape recorders, 7 Memorex video tapes, black and white, Tape A (left) 253 min, Tape B (right) 219 min  
Kunstmuseen Krefeld  
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2022 / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Joseph Beuys & Henning Christiansen
Celtic + ~~~~, 1971
Video installation, 2 monitors, 2 Shibaden t9 video tape recorders, 7 Memorex video tapes, black and white, Tape A (left) 253 min, Tape B (right) 219 min
Kunstmuseen Krefeld
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2022 / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Jean Tinguely  
Le Chant du Cygne du Bambou, 1963  
Wood, scrap iron, wheels, metal rods, rubber belts, bamboo sticks, electric motor  
245 × 495 × 110 cm  
Museum Tinguely, Basel. Ein Kulturengagement von Roche  
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2022 / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld
Jean Tinguely
Le Chant du Cygne du Bambou, 1963
Wood, scrap iron, wheels, metal rods, rubber belts, bamboo sticks, electric motor
245 × 495 × 110 cm
Museum Tinguely, Basel. Ein Kulturengagement von Roche
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2022 / Photo: Dirk Rose / Kunstmuseen Krefeld

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