„Polyphonie an der Peripherie“ (2024) uses private sound recordings by Wilhelm Schmidt, a citizen of the Berlin district of Britz and former director of the Neukölln Museum. As in the currently popular practice of field recording, in the 1960’s Schmidt spent almost a decade using his tape recorder to capture sounds, conversations and radio broadcasts on everyday and specific topics in West Berlin, especially in the district of Neukölln. These recordings cover a broad spectrum: from the animal world to early excavations and the construction of Gropiusstadt, to private and public excursions or gatherings, the sound of bells and singing at home. The resulting collection of tapes with over 600 different recordings was bequeathed to the Neukölln Museum, which provided a digitalized version.
Jorn Ebner uses three types of sound material: (a) noise and artifacts that arose during the original recordings or during digitalization; (b) curious sounds that have little recognizable origin; (c) Schmidt’s own voice (and that of his grandchildren). Concrete sounds (including gunshots in the eastern part of the city, animals, vehicles, musical instruments) are juxtaposed with the musicality of voices (Schmidt’s announcements and comments on his own recordings; those of his grandchildren; radio voices). Public and private sounds enter into a symbiosis.
The work comprises five titles:
1. „Glitches“ consists of recording, editing and/or digitalization sounds.
2. „Soundscapes“ (1960s) is a soundscape of soundscapes.
3. and 4. „Voices (I) and (II)“ are sound collages of announcements that Wilhelm Schmidt used to catalog his own recordings. With a few exceptions, only the announcements can be heard, but not the noises and sounds recorded on the original tapes.
5. „Echoes“ is an original composition that was conceived as an echo to the above.
Jorn Ebner provided visual counterparts to the soundsape (on endless tapes and audio file loops for cassette players and media players): a digital drawing as an artistic cartography of the sounds and objects (made of honeycomb board, textile and glass) that mark out a seemingly private space.
„Polyphonie an der Peripherie“ was created as a multi-part audiovisual work for the exhibition „Bild und Plan“ at the Kulturstiftung Schloss Britz, Berlin, and was exhibited from November 16th, 2024 to February 7th, 2025. Jorn Ebner performed „Britz Bop“ with selected samples of the work at the opening on November 15th, 2024.
Jury's statement
The 2025 Karl Sczuka support grant goes to the production „Polyphonie an der Peripherie“ by Jorn Ebner. The material for this work is a collection of private tape recordings by Wilhelm Schmidt, who recorded sounds, con- versations and radio broadcasts in Berlin-Neukölln in the 1960s. Ebner uses acoustic fragments from this archive, as well as announcements, recording and editing artefacts for his experimental composition.
Jorn Ebner is a visual artist. Place of residence: Hamburg until 1995, London and Newcastle upon Tyne until 2009, since then Berlin. Studies: Fine Art (Central Saint Martins, London, 1995–1998); Master’s degree in English, History and Art History (University of Hamburg, 1990–1995); AHRC Research Fellowship in Fine Art (University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2002–2005). Awarded the Munich Media Forum Art Prize in 2001. From the beginning he has worked with art in public space, and since 2000 he has also been working with digital media and internet technologies. Since 2007, he has focused on sound and drawing. These include sound art in public space projects supported by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: „(The Beatles) in Hamburg“ (2011), published as a book/CD by The Green Box, Berlin, and „Perifaerye“ (2023), published as a vinyl release with book and poster jointly by Fantôme-Verlag, Berlin, and the label gruenrekorder, Frankfurt/Hanau. International solo and group exhibitions and participation in new media art festivals (Siggraph; Ars Electronica and others) since 2000.
