The sound installation BRAVO! focuses on the cultural and acoustic significance of applause and claps (claps are the distinctive percussion sounds of various electronic dance music styles). At first glance, both sounds have the same origin – they are a basic method of acoustic articulation and a rhythm tool that we hold in our own hands. Particularly at the intersection between serious music and popular music, questions regarding the cultural meaning of applause can be raised: How can we communicate with the help of applause? Does the rhythm of the clap drive us on or are we collapsing under the impelling force of the rhythms?

Does it make a difference who gives what kind of applause and, especially, in what place? As part of a multi-channel audio installation (both outside and inside the gallery space), these sounds become the carrier of a sonic investigation that focuses on our relationship with Salzburg’s festival culture and current socio-political trends. In the composition, applause is used as a purely rhythmic structure in the form of ecstatic moments and monotonous beats, detached from any context. In contrast to Salzburg’s touristic and bustling city centre, this sound installation repeatedly creates new “empty” highlights and transforms the exhibition and its surroundings into an abstract festival realm of an imagined counter-culture.

Exhibitions:
Whispering Dialogues | 5020 Salzburg/AT | 12. 07. – 28. 09. 2019