Sound art in Slovakia (1960s-2000s)

Artists

Milan Dobeš, Alex Mlynárčik, Milan Adamčiak, Róbert Cyprich, Vladimír Labat, Transmusic comp. (1989-96), Juraj Ďuriš, Lengow & HEyeRMEarS, CUCU Ensemble, Michal Murin.

Forms

• audio-kinetic sculptures and environments (1960s, Dobeš, Mlynárčik)
• graphic artists meeting composers (Daniel Fischer – Ilja Zelenka, 1979 and 1993; Svetozár Ilavský – Svetozár Ilavský, since 1991; Miloš Štofko – Martin Burlas, 1994; Viktor Hulík – Peter Machajdík, 1993; Bohuš Kubínsky and Monika Kubínska – Iris Szeghy, 1995; Jaroslav Drotár – Marek Piaček, 1995; Dorota Sadovská – Daniel Matej, 1997)
• acoustic part of action art (1970, Adamčiak, Cyprich)
• sound objects (1970s-90s, Polymúzický priestor I. exhibition, Labat, Transmusic Comp, Lengow & HEyeRMEarS)
• home-made musical instruments (1980s-90s, Adamčiak, Sound Off festivals)
• acoustic environments (1980s-90s, Murin)

Exhibitions

Polymúzický priestor I., 1970 in Piešťany. Concept by L Kár.
Touch to Connect, 1985–1989, relaunched in 1997. Concept by Ladislav Snopko and Zuzana Bartošová.
Image and Music, 1989-90. Curated by Ivan Jančár and Zuzana Martináková.
Piano Hotel, 1997. Curated by Michal Murin. Five prepared pianos along with their parts were presented as acoustic objects (Viktor Lois, Otis Laubert, Milan Adamčiak, and Jozef Cseres). Part of Sound Off festival.

Works

The Pulsating Rhythm, 1963. Milan Dobeš. Sound manipulated on the basis of the synchronization of impulses.
A Cathedral of Humanism, 1968. Stanislav Filko. Exhibited at the international exhibition Danuvius ’68. The synthetic environment that utilized concrete music (sounds reproducing radio broadcast).
Chafing, 1969. Milan Adamčiak and Róbert Cyprich. Created the musical component of Alex Mlynárčik's event in the High Tatras.
Miss Pogana’s Flirt, 1969. Alex Mlynárčik. Exhibited in Apollinaire Gallery in Milan, Italy. (1934) in his homage to Constantin Brâncuşi used plastic eggs that emitted ringing sounds after being set in motion by spectators. Interactive environment changing, through a visitor’s gesture, was not merely the constellation of objects but also the acoustic quality of space.
Water Music, 1969. Milan Adamčiak and Róbert Cyprich. Music project that modernized Georg Friedrich Händel’s original composition; together with Jozef Revallo, the piece was performed at the indoor swimming-pool of the college dormitory Juraja Hronca in Bratislava.
Spring Union, 1970. Milan Adamčiak. Created the musical components of Jana Želibská's event in Dolné Orešany.
The Yellow Environment, 1970. Milan Adamčiak. Created the musical components of Jarmila Čihánková's event at the exhibition Polymúzický priestor I. in Piešťany.
The Wheelwork of Time, 1970. Vladimír Môťovský. Piece for the exhibition Polymúzický priestor I. in Piešťany. Sculpturesque object in the shape of a clattering mill.
A Dwelling-Place, 1970. Andrej Goliáš. Piece for the exhibition Polymúzický priestor I. in Piešťany.
1970. Ivan Štěpán. Piece for the exhibition Polymúzický priestor I. in Piešťany. Optophonic space consisting of the synchronization of visual, acoustic, and architectural elements.
Three Graces, 1970. Róbert Cyprich. Participated musically at the Alex Mlynárčik's project at the I. Otvorený ateliér in Bratislava.
Acousticon, 1970. Alex Mlynárčik, Miroslav Filip and Viera Mecková. Project was begun but left unfinished; it had been intended as a programmed musical instrument whose sound depended on the movement of the spectator on an ascending and descending spiral.
1971. Milan Dobeš. Wrote a special light-kinetic program for the American Wind Symphony Orchestra to accompany symphonic compositions by T. Mayazumi and Krzysztof Penderecki (a series of concerts in the United States).
Games of Games, 1985. Michal Murin. Acoustic environment.
Earth Music, 1986. Michal Murin. Part of Monuments and the Present Age project.
A Visual Composition, 1987. Michal Murin. Acoustic environment.
Simultaneous Improvisations, 1989. Michal Murin. Acoustic environment. Music bridge Perth – Bratislava.
1989. Milan Adamčiak. At the exhibition The Basement in Bratislava. Extensive installation consisting of sound objects and musical instruments constructed primarily from found materials.
The Schrattenberg Sprite, 1991. Miloš Boďa and Juraj Ďuriš. Interactive acoustic object.
Archeomusic, 1992. Michal Murin. Used natural material (wood, leaves, soil, straw) for creating sound objects brought into play during performances.
Travelling Art Museum – Musical Ecofacts and Artifacts from the Eocene to the Futurocene, 1997. Lengow & HEyeRMEarS. For the symposium Kép-Ze-Let at the Mining Museum in Tatabánya. Sound object oscillating between a sound object and a conceptual visual acoustic installation.
Warholes, 1999. Lengow & HEyeRMEarS and Otomo Yoshihide. Acoustic installation on the premises of the permanent exhibition at Andy Warhol’s Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce.

Articles

Michal Murin: The Seeing Ear - Sound Object and Instalations II, http://www.radioart.sk/frames.php?url=http%3A//www.radioart.sk/doc/soundart/inx_ucho_eng.html