Anna Schimkat
Mit dem Raum hören. Über Klang, Öffentlichkeit und die Politik des Hörens [Hearing Space. On Sound, the Public Sphere, and the Politics of Listening]
October 20, 2026 6 p.m.
TRACES Rsearch Station, Lutherplatz
How does our understanding of space change when we not only see it but also hear it? Sound shapes how we orient ourselves, how we physically experience situations, and how we relate to our surroundings. Yet listening is never neutral: What do we consciously perceive, what do we overlook—and which sounds are socially amplified or silenced?
Building on a group listening exercise based on the work of Pauline Oliveros, Anna Schimkat combines theoretical perspectives with insights into her artistic practice. Historical concepts of sound perception and R. Murray Schafer’s concept of the “soundscape” intersect with contemporary forms of acoustic intervention. Drawing on her own work and that of other artists, the lecture explores sound as a material, a spatial event, and a social force. At its core is the question of how artistic work with sound transforms public spaces.
Anna Schimkat is an artist based in Leipzig and Mainz who focuses on sound art, performance, and site-specific installations. She studied fine arts at the Bauhaus University in Weimar and was a master’s student at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in Germany, the U.S., and Europe. In her artistic practice, she explores natural, social, and cultural processes, as well as forms of perception and experience. She works in a multidisciplinary manner with sound, sculpture, field recordings, and self-built instruments, viewing the respective environment as a central element of her work. Her work has been supported by numerous scholarships and grants, most recently from the Kunstfonds Foundation.
Anna Schimkat was invited by the Slotawa class.
The event will be held in German.
Images:
Choral performance “Passage” by Anna Schimkat and Felix Kindermann, New York Choral Society, Deutsches Haus NYU, New York, 2023, Photo: Demi Guo
Photo: DStier, 2026
