The collaboration with the Soniq collective was horizon-expanding on several levels. The artistic exploration of the diversity of sounds from the Archipel network required great openness and sensitivity from all of us. In all phases of the collaboration with Soniq, one could sense this cautiousness and respect in dealing with the material entrusted to us. At the same time, the creative process was characterized by a joy of playing and a desire to experiment. Combining the musicians’ different creative approaches and artistic approaches in one project and finally bringing it to the stage was an inspiring experience for us.
In the course of the past few years, during the Corona pandemic, the world suddenly became very small. Travelling was no longer possible and the world slipped through a fibre glass cable and behind a screen. You could listen to concerts live from all over the world in the digital space. One felt connected to colleagues everywhere who, like oneself, were stuck in their living rooms – each a bit like Robinson Crusoe on his island. The picture of the archipelago symbolizes the experienced paradox of being separate and being connected in an appropriate way.
Soniq Archipelago Live-Trailer Stadtgarten Cologne Oct 28, 2022 (9:00 min)
To be able to deal as creative as possible along with these new realities of life and work and the uncertainties which have arisen also in regard to the future, SONIQ has thought about how, in spite of limited performance and production conditions, the projects, which have been carried out in annual rotation since 2016, could be continued.
The objective is to continue a lively exchange with as many international musicians as possible and yet not to ignore the (presumably continuing) limited travel opportunities. The result of these considerations is the project ARCHIPELAGO, as presented here.
The combination of gathering digitally with a global selection of musicians on one hand and a very local cooperation with artists from different genres on the other (Duo Merzouga: sound art / Uli Sigg: video art) will allow the collective to continue developing its artistic work between (musical) worlds, a process that has been going on for more than four years now. This will also guarantee – regardless of contact and travel restrictions – the broadest possible visibility of the project, since music will be audible both in the digital space and in concerts on site.
Rough Mix (20 min)
Soniq Archipelago Video Teaser (1:34 min)
Protagonists of the Cologne collective are connected and linked to hundreds of musicians around the world. The worldwide archipelago of SONIQ friends will be invited to make short audio recordings and send them to Cologne. These artists are invited to send in fragments that reflect their current, very personal emotional state in a time between isolation and networking.
SONIQ, Merzouga & Sigg will create an artistically condensed resonance to the digitally transmitted sounds of the world and reflect them back into the digital space.
However, the protagonists are not satisfied with a digital presence only: the individual members of the collective will develop elaborate compositions for a live performance on the basis of the musical material created from the fragments. The sound composition becomes the nucleus of an experimental artistic process. This lab-like process is part of the experience and will finally result in a sensual, playful, grooving full-length concert at its best SONIQ style. SONIQ will invite the sound-art duo Merzouga – as well as the media artist Uli Sigg as an equivalent performer on-stage.
Artist comment:
Bridge Between Local Sounds And Global Networks – Particularly Impressive
“I experienced the collaboration with SONIQ and Merzouga as a fascinating journey through the world’s soundscapes, a process that illustrates the diversity and connectedness of global music cultures. I found the concept of SONIQ Archipelago, which builds a bridge between local sounds and global networks, particularly impressive. By integrating audio recordings from all over the world and processing them artistically, a unique, electro-acoustic work of art was created that reflects not only the isolated island location, but also digital networking and the creative response to it.”
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