A project by Deutschlandfunk Kultur – Hörspiel / Klangkunst and CTM Festival in collaboration with Goethe-Institut, ORF Ö1 Kunstradio, the Radio Lab sought proposals relating to the theme of »affection« that also engaged with the artistic possibilities of radio and live performance mediums. This year it is also presented within the framework of the sound art initiative tekhnė. The jury was composed of Talía Vega León (creative director Radical Sounds Latin America), Elisabeth Zimmerman (producer Kunst zum Hören, ORF), Marcus Gammel (head of drama, documentary, and radio art, Deutschlandfunk Kultur), and Jan Rohlf (co-founder and artistic director CTM Festival).
Yara Mekawei – »Sonic Forces«
The Egyptian composer Yara Mekawei will present a project that intricately weaves together personal, political, and sonic narratives. Her work navigates the complex emotions surrounding affection in the face of both internal and external conflict.
As a woman living in a society dominated by religious conservatism and patriarchal structures, Mekawei explores how affection can serve both as a sanctuary and a battleground. Set against the politically charged landscape of Egypt, where borders with Palestine, Libya, and Sudan represent sites of war and refuge, her project delves into the paradox of seeking safety amid deeper personal struggles.While the country serves as a place of refuge for those escaping violence and instability from neighboring regions, Mekawei’s work reveals that this safety is double-edged. Refugees may escape external danger, but they often face new struggles in a society that limits freedom of expression, especially for women.
Mekawei’s proposed work, »Sonic Forces,« unfolds through an aural exploration of these overlapping conflicts. By capturing field recordings from Egypt’s border regions—areas marked by the transition between war-torn zones and relative safety—she will create a soundscape that reflects this journey: the sounds of crossing points, refugee camps, and border towns transformed into a layered auditory landscape.
Affection, typically seen as a space of care and refuge, becomes a complex and multifaceted theme here. Mekawei reimagines affection as both a source of comfort and a means of resistance. In the context of »Sonic Forces«, it operates within spaces of conflict—both external, where refugees seek safety, and internal, where Mekawei herself struggles to assert her artistic voice against societal restrictions. Her live performance will engage the audience in a dialogue between these external and internal borders, where affection is constantly redefined.
Yara Mekawei is a prolific artist and scholar whose compositions are often inspired by the energy of urban environments and city infrastructure. Her research-driven work explores the intersection of sound, architecture, and social history, using sound waves to create visual representations that reflect her cultural and feminine identity within Egyptian society.
Lynn Nandar Htoo, rEmPiT
g0dDe$$, Gabriel Htoo, Sarah Hanan (INT) — »Resonant Resilience«
»Resonant Resilience« delves into the transformative power of music as a means of resistance, resilience, unity, and healing, especially for Southeast Asian female and queer music practitioners.
Southeast Asia’s rich musical traditions have long been intertwined with its political and social history including queer histories, serving as a form of protest and unity. Whether it's through traditional folk songs, protest anthems, or contemporary pop music, music has been used to express shared identities and shared futures, challenge oppressive regimes, and nurture a sense of unity. With »Resonant Resilience,« Lynn Nandar Htoo and rEmPiT g0dDe$$ engage with this ongoing sonic history.
The performance will focus on the experiences of individuals displaced by the ongoing political turmoil in Myanmar and the harsh regulations faced by queer communities in Malaysia, giving voice to these struggles as a means of empowerment and healing. In »Resonant Resilience,« Lynn Nandar Htoo and rEmPiT g0dDe$$ explore resilience as a response to socio-political inequities disproportionately affecting Southeast Asian female and queer communities. While empowering, resilience can obscure the need for structural change, framing it instead as an active reclamation of agency that challenges systems perpetuating marginalisation.
A key part of the work are Htoo’s field recordings made in her home of Yangon, Myanmar, before fleeing the country due to the country’s ongoing violence. In collaboration, the two artists will integrate these sounds with live integration of recorded traditional instruments and electronics. This fusion of natural soundscapes, classical analogue sounds, and digital elements will be enhanced by dynamic visual art created by the filmmaker Gabriel Htoo, highlighting the devastating impact of Myanmar’s political turmoil and the struggles of those caught in its path, and Sarah Hanan, who captures layers of repression, isolation, internalised shame, and enduring hope that mark the lives of queer identities in Southeast Asia.
Known for her ability to seamlessly fuse Myanmar’s musical traditions with cutting-edge electronic rhythms, Lynn Nandar Htoo crafts immersive sonic landscapes that defy conventional genres. She explores Southeast Asian tuning systems and scales through modern music technologies, among other works within the Nusasonic initiative. In 2023 she was invited to take part in »Listening to the World – 100 Years of Radio,« an initiative of Bauhaus University & Goethe-Institut. As a queer woman and talented sound designer, Lynn has also made her mark in Southeast Asian cinema, adding depth and innovation to its auditory experience.
A dedicated advocate for decolonizing electronic music, the work of Kuala Lumpur-based rEmPiT g0dDe$$, real name Victoria Yam, with the Nusasonic initiative reflects her deep engagement with Southeast Asian musical traditions. Her releases traverse the realms of industrial club music to deconstructed sounds to the intricate layers of Southeast Asian tunings. Victoria is the founder of ALIGN.ONLINE, a digital platform spotlighting Southeast Asian female & queer, cultural & sound practitioners and the co-founder of 3NiTi, a Southeast Asian female & queer led DJ collective.
The Radio Lab is a project by Deutschlandfunk Kultur – Hörspiel / Klangkunst and CTM Festival in collaboration with Goethe-Institut, and ORF Ö1 Kunstradio. This year it is also supported by the sound art initiative tekhnē, which is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.