Coming soon to catalyst: what to expect from Signals Festival 2021
Posted on 2021-09-30T22:00:00+0000 in Catalyst
From this year’s twist on art and technology to exciting lineup announcements, here’s what to expect from Signals Festival 2021, taking place at Catalyst’s Funkhaus location from the 15th to the 16th of October.
Art and technology. Two of the greatest products of the human imagination, inextricably linked to inspire and challenge each other. When combined, they can lead to innovation which defines the human direction. It begs the question: in a world in which ideas spread like viruses and a spread virus can trigger transformative ideas, which way are we going? Signals Festival 2021 – taking place at Catalyst’s Funkhaus campus from the 15th to the 16th of October – asks whether we are heading for a utopia or a dystopia, and explores how art and technology can determine that direction.
Discover our community
Signals Festival is our annual showcase of our emerging and diverse creative communities: a non-profit, public, educational event packed with live performances, audio and visual installations, film screenings, workshops and in-depth dialogue. It’s the perfect place to discover next-gen music producers, sound artists, filmmakers, actors and VFX and digital artists from around the globe who have honed their talent in our vibrant corner of Berlin, and who are actively shaping what’s next in the creative industries.
Plus, if you are interested in studying at Catalyst, you’ll have the opportunity to take a guided tour of our facilities, where you’ll find out firsthand what makes our community so special.
A hybrid event
Last year saw the Signals Festival organisers, Hannah Deans and Suzana Benesova, triumphantly present a stimulating in-person and online programme to meet COVID restrictions. As we continue to adapt to a changing world, the 2021 event will once again operate in this hybrid format. For those of you who would like to join us IRL at the Funkhaus (limited tickets available), we are a 2G event, which means that you must show proof of full vaccination or recovery in order to gain entry.
Ready for a taste of the future? Scroll down to discover some of the artists to look forward to, and be sure to follow Signals Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Resident Advisor for updates and further lineup announcements.
Performances
Performing and streaming live from the Funkhaus, we present an eclectic selection of musical talent.
Gina Lo & Felipe Vareschi
Designed and performed by Gina Lo and Felipe Vareschi, A Temple in Space is an electroacoustic improvisation that explores the musical dialogue between the tangible and the invisible, the dynamic of the leading and the following, an open invitation to the audiences to enter another dimension with the artists.
KOKO FONIC
With a focus on groove, momentum and rhythmic variation, Koko Fonic aims to deliver flow filled moments of cinematic, sonic drama. You can expect a fine selection of tracks, mixed together to instil an experience of connection.
Solving Mazes
Solving Mazes is a duo of Konrad Daszczyński and Artur Pasco. In their music and improvisations they openly refer to being inspired by the heritage of jazz, fusion and progressive rock. Maze solving is the activity of finding your way through a maze from start to finish. Likewise, intricate compositions based on many time signature changes and extended harmonies are a kind of musical puzzle which the musicians face on stage.
Ytotiany & Shoro
Ytotiany & Shoro perform a live show that combines traditional Mexican instruments, looping and singing with electronic beats. The result is reminiscent of the acoustic minimalism, rhythmic lyricism and unapologetic emotion of décima poets of Mexico and the Caribbean, reinterpreted through electronic music resources, with beats that could belong in a 90s reggaeton album and looping dynamics that are sure to get you off your feet and into the dance-floor.
Installations
Site-specific, immersive audiovisual installations to stimulate your senses.
PREMATURE NFTs
The installation will be a video collection of Klecksography artist Giovanni De Benedetto's "PREMATURE NFTs", where the original static images take motion to become alive, and the textures are even more augmented. Stefano Menion Ferrari will provide an original soundtrack to ease the visitors to dive into the magma of this alien symmetric world.
Sensory test
Sensory test is a video installation loop by light-focused multimedia artist Gabriela Prochazka. Get your hearing and visual perception calibrated and tested. Please note: side effects of the show could include anxiety and vertigo. Hope you will feel good though!
Sonic Sauna
Sonic Sauna is a spatial sound installation by Gina Lo that guides a sound experience by depriving one sense (sight) while heightening some of the others (smell, hearing). Inspired by the artist's time spent in the wilderness on an island in Southern Cambodia, the theme of this space explores the triangle system of the relationship between the environment - ambience - human.
The Sensory Totem
‘The Sensory Totem’, by electronic musician and performer Felipe Vareschi and composer and sound designer Giorgio Cattaneo, is an interactive multimedia installation that pushes audiences to communicate with the invisible network of electric fields generated by the technology that surrounds us. The installation relies entirely on your participation and thus will develop a unique form every time you interact with it.
Oneiro Hiraeth
An audio-visual experience, by Olívia Mamberti and Maya Rain, exploring the dichotomy between Utopia Vs Dystopia. The installation follows an immersive storyline, featuring Olívia's stunning vocals and Maya's sheer range of music production and sound design experience, while being perfectly complemented with colourful and dynamic visual experiences.
Workshops
Bringing together our own and our partner educators for specialist, collaborative masterclasses.
Free signal liberation
In this free workshop with Peter Kirn (CDM), let’s discover modular synthesis and its potential for musical expression using free and open-source tools. Liberate yourself in how you imagine timbre, rhythm, tune, and pattern using signal flow - without money and space being a barrier to entry. And let’s talk about how that can also be used to share, play together, and support one another in our music-making.
Methods for audiovisual production with Touchdesigner
This 9€ workshop with artist and creative director Paulina Greta is for visual artists and/or musicians who want to create interactive audiovisuals. The workshop aims to show how to produce audio reactive 3D compositions using light, camera, objects, materials, as well as provide a basic understanding of the workflow and the setup in TouchDesigner. Participants should bring their laptops with TouchDesigner installed. The workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate level participants. Note that the free, non-commercial licence for TouchDesigner is suitable for this workshop.
The art of listening: Mastering (ONLINE)
This 9€ online Zoom workshop with Glowcast Audio Mastering founder Conor Dalton is meant to serve all musicians, studio engineers and enthusiasts out there! An introduction to the concept of mastering modern music with cutting edge techniques and tools. Some prior experience in making music, mixing, sound engineering, and an interest in mastering is a plus but not essential.
VR Storytelling Masterclass
In this special 8€ masterclass, co-founder of NowHere Media, Felix Gaedtke, shares his experience developing VR documentaries to engage audiences and create impact in the real world. Participants of this masterclass will also have the opportunity to experience the full immersive VR story, Home After War, at Signals Festival (additional time slot booking required).
XLR Microphone Cable Soldering
In this 10€ workshop you will learn how to professionally solder a symmetrical microphone cable. Catalyst’s very own Electronic Music Production tutor and music technician Stefan, will show you how to tailor a good quality cable from budget building parts and provide tips and tricks you need to DIY every cable in your home studio setup. This workshop is limited to 6 participants. Equipment & accessories will be provided at the workshop, self soldered cable can be taken home after!
Impro Jam with Akkamiau (female:pressure)
This 10€ electronic jam session with female:pressure's Akkamiau is focused on learning improvisation techniques and creating an immediate (live) soundtrack for a visual narrative. A short movie will provide the context of the improv session, with the goal being a liminal performance.
Screenings
Telling stories in film from a diverse range of voices, genres and styles.
Dialogues
Opening up conversation on the trends, issues and challenges that creators face with special guests from the Berlin and global creative industries.
Revisit the Signals archive
Check out our recap of last year’s festival.
