SPOR 2012: SPEAK UP is the title of this year’s festival – an art-musical examination of folk culture that cuts across time, genres and national borders. Be part of it when music goes into a clinch with the distinctive sounds of folk culture on 10, 11, 12 and 13 May 2012 in Aarhus.
 
SPOR 2012: SPEAK UP presents artists from all over the world, with compositions, installations and performances relating to this year’s theme: Folk culture. The festival reflects on cultural conceptions and ideological trends, and discusses topical societal issues within an art-musical optic. Contemporary trends are mixed with old – and perhaps forgotten – traditions, while concepts and phenomena such as protest demonstrations, passive consumerism and noise-art are given a close (loving) look. 

Do you want to be part of the journey? Experience the aesthetical transcending of major classical works, hear the voices of twelve tailors’ dummies and be part of a megaphone performance. The artists will take over staircases and the historical rooms of the former goods station. Everyday voices will hum again, ghostlike sounds will be hidden in obscure corners, and public squares will be transformed into theatres for everyday actors. And you can see Wagner’s The Ring performed as an experimental one-man show. 

We are delighted at being able to collaborate with this year’s guest curator: the composer Lars Petter Hagen b. 1975 (NO). Hagen is conspicuous as a composer via a great number of performances at major international festivals, and he regularly works with the best ensembles in Europe. As a composer, Hagen makes use of electro-acoustic music, multimedia music and performances as well as sound installations. 


He says about SPOR 2012: SPEAK UP: 

‘The theme invites a discussion of political issues linked to present-day multicultural societies. National and regional identity, religion, elitist as against mass culture are all general and highly topical issues around which the curatorial concept of the festival will revolve. The festival will be an arena for thinking and dialogue concerning the relation between art and society.’ 



SPOR 2012: SPEAK UP presents a great many works by recognised Danish and international artists – young talents as wll as established artists – within new music and sound-art: Marina Rosenfeld (US), Bent Sørensen (DK), Johannes Kreidler (DE), Franck Leibovici (FR), Dreamers Circus (DK), Elle-Mie Ejdrup Hansen/Marie Højlund (DK), Simon Christensen (DK), S.l.a.t.u.r (IS), Eyvind Guldbrandsen/Jullie Hjetland (NO/DK), Hugo Morales (MX/NL), Hafdis Bjarnadottir (IS), Pascal Jardry (SE)/Anna Koch (SE)/Claudia Molitor (UK), Trio Gàman (DK), Kaj Aune (DK), Teitur (FO), Ensemble Zwischentöne (DE), Kundi Bombo (DK) Lina Lapelyte (LT/UK), Anat Ben-David (UK/IL), SCENATET (DK) and Valerie Tevere & Angel Nevarez (US). 

WELCOME to SPOR 2012! 



Anna Berit Asp Christensen and Anne Marqvardsen 
– Festival and artistic directors