Unsound at Bozar

16:30 – 18:00 | ‘13 Ways of Looking at AI, Art & Music’ by Jennifer Walshe

AI isn’t one thing – it’s many. From chatbots to music playlists and art, AI shapes our experiences in countless ways. The same goes for AI-created art and music: from robot-made paintings to machine-generated death metal, each raises different questions and goals. How should we approach these works? Instead of one clean perspective, perhaps we need to think like AI – embracing complexity and multiple dimensions. Join composer and artist Jennifer Walshe for a thought-provoking talk exploring these ideas.

19:30 - 20:30 | Raphael Rogiński with Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė present ‘Žaltys’

The new album by Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński is named after the grass snake Žaltys, a revered household spirit in Lithuanian folklore, and explores themes of Eastern European mythology and nature. Yet while Eastern European folk music is a constant, enigmatic inspiration, Žaltys is - like all Rogiński’s work - impossible to pin down, drawing on jazz, American primitivism, and a pervasive mysticism. Making a guest appearance is kanklės-player and singer Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė, founding member of Merope. The two artists have been friends for years, but had never managed to record together, even though they share similar inspirations. 

20:45 - 21:45 | Heinali & Yasia present ‘Гільдеґарда’ (A/V)

Recording under the Heinali moniker, Ukrainian composer and sound artist Oleh Shpudeiko uses the modular synthesizer to help him reimagine early music, reconciling the past with the present. He's penned music for various games, films, installations and performances, and in 2020 his solo album Madrigals was shortlisted for the Shevchenko National Prize. For this special premiere performance, Shpudeiko will team up with composer, flautist and singer Yasia Saienko to bring the music of 12th century abbess, philosopher and mystic Hildegard von Bingen into a new era. Marrying Ukrainian folk singing and singular modular synthesis techniques, 'Гільдеґарда' amplifies the paradoxical physicality of Von Bingen’s writing, using it as a mirror for contemporary events to reflect and process wartime experiences. Ukrainian Sophia Bulgakova will provide visuals for the concert.

Гільдеґарда is commissioned by Unsound, CTM Festival, Athens Epidaurus Festival / Subset, and GMEA - Centre National de Création Musicale Albi-Tarn

22:00 - 23:00 | AKA HEX (Aïsha Devi & Slikback)

AKA HEX is a brand new collaboration between Aïsha Devi and Slikback, whose debut show will feature guest appearances. Devi was born in Switzerland with Nepali indigenous heritage, and her transversal identity has helped her navigate the underground as not just a producer and vocalist, but as a DJ and curator. Co-founding the Danse Noire imprint in 2013, which released her breakout EP. Devi's interest in sonic alchemy and multi-dimensional expression came to an overflowing head with last year's enigmatic Death Is Home, which featured the first collaboration with Slikback. 

Born and raised in Nairobi, Slikback is one of the world's most adventurous producers, taking elements from the wide spectrum of club, noise, ambient and rap musics and forming them into a psychedelic lattice of high intensity sounds and emotions. He's spent the last few years prolifically contributing to his canon via his Bandcamp stream, this year compiling the highlights into the frenetic double-LP SLIKBACK – 22 tracks of future-facing, soundsystem-ready experimental club sounds that define his journey so far. Recently, Slikback’s DATA EP released the legendary Tempa label.