From Friday April 1 to Tuesday April 5, Unsound Labs will present a series of events, workshops and panel discussions across New York under the banner “Labs” that explore the idea of a "Festival as a laboratory." The concept is that a festival environment is one in which artists can explore creativity in new ways and involves collaboration, experimentation and live improvisation. This is positioned as a a lead up to the launch of Unsound Festival New York on April 6 at Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall.
Events will take place on Friday and Saturday at Issue Project Room with one-off collaborations between HATI (Poland) and Z’ev (USA), Anna Zaradny (Poland) and New York-based Walkman manipulator Aki Onda (USA). Swiss-based artists Günter Müller, Jason Kahn and Norbert Mosland will perform as MKM, fusing noise, electronics and improvised music; especially for LABS, they will also present a series of collaborations with US artists Taylor Deupree, Lizzi Bougatsos and Richard Kamerman. Duo MERCE, made up of harpist Shelley Burgon & avant-turntablist Maria Chavez (USA), was set to join forces with Dawid Szczesny - unfortunately Dawid's show has had to be postponed, and it is hoped he'll be added to a bill later in the week. MERCE will perform solo.
On Sunday, the action moves to Littlefield, where experimental rock band "Skull Defekts" (Sweden) will perform with Zomes and the Polish/German electronic musician Paul Wirkus.
Also over the weekend, the Wyoming Building - operating as the festival HQ - will become a hotbed of panels and discussions featuring sound artists, musicians and a film screening. There will also be a unique tour of the amazing Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (featured in the April edition of WIRE Magaizne) where the room-sized RCA Mark II Synthesizer has stood since 1959.
Two very special events will also take place on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5. The first, at BAMcinematek, is a screening of the silent horror film "Nosferatu", directed by F.W. Murnau - a classic of German expressionist cinema. A live score will be provided by Norwegian Svarte Greiner, creator of "acoustic doom", performing with Paul Wirkus - who will display his skills as a percussionist.
Tuesday at Walter Reade Theater features ((audience)), “Cinema for the Ear” – a special five-channel surround-sound program played in complete darkness with audio works composed around the theme of “Horror - the pleasure of fear and unease,” by musicians including Clay Gold, Demdike Stare, Felix Kubin, Peter Kutin, Raime and Rob Eggers.
The opening night of Unsound Festival New York takes place on April 6 at Alice Tully Hall on April 6 with an evening of music presented with fellow-Krakow festival Sacrum Profanum featuring Sinfonietta Cracovia performing the music of Steve Reich and Penderecki, as well as “Music For Solaris”. Marking the 50th anniversary of the novel “Solaris” by Krakow’s Stanislaw Lem, this Unsound-commissoned work is by Ben Frost and Daniel Bjarnason, with film manipulations by Brian Eno and Nick Robertson. This is just the start of five more days jam-packed with major events exploring innovative music at its finest - and most unexpected.
Head for the Unsound Festival New York 2011 website for more details.
By the way, there are a few remaining festival passes. If you want one, get it now.
This theme "Festival as Labratory" was developed by European Cities of Advanced Sound (ECAS), of which Unsound is a member.


Unsound Festival New York is presented by Fundacja Tone, the Polish Cultural Institute in New York and the Goethe-Institut New York


In Cooperation With The Trust For Mutual Understanding, The Adam Mickiewicz Institute, City of Krakow, Krakow Festival Office, Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, Instituto Cervantes New York, Consulate General of Finland in New York, Royal Consulate of Norway New York, Pro Helvetia and others


Unsound opening night is presented with Sacrum Profanum and organized with the Krakow Festival Office and Adam Mickiewiecz Institute.