Experience sound art: guided tour through the unique sound course in Witten!

Experience sound art: guided tour through the unique sound course in Witten!

On June 26, 2025, the University of Witten/Herdecke will present an innovative art project: "Whispers of the Terrain. A Sound Cartography of the Witten/Herdecke Campus". Led by resident artist Claudia Robles-Angel, who will be working at the UW/H from the 2024/25 winter semester, a sound course is being developed. This is intended to promote a conscious perception of the acoustic environment by allowing students to explore various stations on the university campus.

Robles-Angel, born in Bogotá, Colombia, currently lives in Cologne. She is active as a composer and sound and media artist and has gained experience in visual and sound art around the world. Her works challenge the listener to perceive various sound phenomena in their environment, be it the buzzing of insects in the university garden or the noises in the library. The inspiration for this project comes from concepts such as deep listening and sonic awareness, which sharpen the sensitivity to the sense of hearing.

Sound course and guided tours

The sound course is scheduled to open on July 5, 2025 with free guided tours. These tours are scheduled for 2:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The participants meet at the entrance to the university's Great Hall (Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, 58455 Witten). In order to take part in these tours, registration is required, which can be done at Bettina.Voigt@uni-wh.de.

In addition to the sound events, a summer concert by the choir and orchestra of the University of Witten/Herdecke will take place on the same day, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Great Hall. The event director is the well-known conductor Ingo Ernst Reihl, who takes over the musical direction.

Claudia Robles-Angel and her artistic work

Claudia Robles-Angel is not only known for her current project. She has already completed numerous artist residencies at renowned institutions, including the ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and the ICST - Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technologies in Zurich. Her works often integrate biomedical signals and interact with artificial intelligence, positioning her productions at the intersection of technology and art. In 2022 she was awarded an honorary nomination at the GIGA Hertz Prize at the ZKM.

Robles-Angel's diverse work is regularly shown at international sound and media festivals. Her highlight locations include the Bauhaus Museum for Design in Berlin and the Festival Internacional de la Imagen in Manizales. Their art form, which combines sound and visual elements, reflects the intermedial constellations that are also discussed in the current discourses of sound studies.

The role of sound art in contemporary society

The reception of sound and its meaning are not only artistic but also scientific questions. Musicology and especially sound studies offer various approaches to exploring sound as an everyday phenomenon and art form. The art project “Whispers of the Terrain” can be seen as part of this exploration, examining the perception of sound in an intermedia context and questioning the boundaries between auditory and visual media. Auditory media cultures are increasingly viewed as equal to visual culture, which is also reflected in Robles-Angel's work, which addresses critical perspectives on technologies and their influence on sound design.

The initiative is organized by the WittenLab Chair for Digital Arts and Cultural Education and receives support from the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. The event and tours not only provide a platform for the appreciation of sound in art, but also an opportunity for the community to actively participate in this unique artistic experiment.