Beginning in 2016 with the Goethe-Institut-supported Sacred Horror in Design, a groundbreaking collaboration between Tehran-based artists Sote, Arash Bolouri and Behrouz Pashaei, and Berlin-based visual artist Tarik Barri, SET and CTM cultivated a rich artistic exchange. This partnership paved the way for the first-ever showcase of Iranian electronic music at CTM 2017 in Berlin, marking a significant step in amplifying Iran’s experimental music scene on an international stage.
In 2018, the collaboration deepened with SET X CTM, a five-day edition of Tehran’s annual SET festival dedicated entirely to artistic dialogue with Berlin. Co-funded by the Goethe-Institut’s International Coproduction Fund, the event featured performances, talks, and workshops, and premiered two new commissions that united artists from both cities, further strengthening the creative networks between them.
By 2019, these commissions made their Berlin debut at CTM. 9T Antiope and Rainer Kohlberger unveiled Nocebo, while Pouja Pour-Amin expanded his Tehran collaboration with Rabih Beaini into a full ensemble performance featuring Deniz Tafaghody and Daniele De Santis. Sote delivered a blistering live hardcore set at Berghain, and Temp-Illusion took the stage at the Bassiani x CTM club night. These exchanges solidified SET and CTM’s shared commitment to pushing artistic boundaries across borders.
| 9T Antiope | Amir B. Ash |
| Arash Bolouri | Behrouz Pashaei |
Daniele De Santis | Deniz Tafaghody |
Jan Rohlf | Karl Smith |
| mHZ | Monolake |
| Pouja Pour-Amin | Rabih Beaini |
| Rainer Kohlberger | Raphaela Rößler |
| Robert Henke | Rojin Sharafi |
| Shanin Entezami | Siavash Amini |
| Sote | Tarik Barri |
| Temp-Illusion | Umchunga |
Panel discussion »Contemporary Sound in Iran« with Sote, Siavash Amini, Sara Bigdeli Shamloo (of 9T Antiope), moderated by Karl Smith.
Recordedd at CTM Festival 2017.
Panel discussion »Contemporary Sound in Iran« with Sote, Siavash Amini, Sara Bigdeli Shamloo (of 9T Antiope), moderated by Karl Smith.
Recordedd at CTM Festival 2017.
Co-produced with SET and Goethe-Institut Tehran.