Thomas Ankersmit @ ELBPHILHARMONIE

In »Perceptual Geography«, the Dutchman Thomas Ankersmit creates a three-dimensional arrangement of sounds, generated using a Serge synthesizer. A sculpture made up of sounds that takes up the architecture of the space and deceives and seduces listeners’ perceptions. The work is dedicated to the legendary sound researcher Maryanne Amacher, who worked with the likes of Karl Heinz Stockhausen and John Cage.

Thomas Ankersmit performs at Berlin’s Berghain, as well as playing sets at London’s Tate Modern and on the international circuit of new music festivals. He works with the Serge synthesizer both live and in the studio. It was developed in the 1970s by Serge Tcherepnin, becoming one of the first relatively compact and inexpensive electronic instruments.

He is particularly fascinated in his work with booming infra sounds, the deliberate misuse of equipment and a play on sounds that only come about in the listener’s mind. Ankersmit’s material ranges from tiny sound effects that dance around in listeners’ heads right through to huge eruptions that consume an entire room.