Acousmonium – Presentation, concert and book launch with INA grm
Published
Join us for the launch of the Acousmonium Handbook, followed by a public presentation of the temporary acousmonium and a concert by the INA grm team. Hear historic works composed for the acousmonium and experience how sound can be moved, shaped and spatialised across an orchestra of loudspeakers.
2 October
18:00 – Doors open
19:00–20:00 – Public Presentation of acousmonium
20:00–20:30 – Book launch
21:00 – Concert
Venue: DUI – Den uferdige institusjonen/the unfinished institution
Damsgårdsveien 229
Free and open to all.
The evening offers an introduction to the acousmonium as both a sound system and an artistic practice, where the positioning of loudspeakers, the acoustics of the space and the movement of sound become parts of the listening experience.
The concert programme features a selection of short and archival works by:
Philippe Carson — Turmac
Bernard Parmegiani — La Roue Ferris
Ève Aboulkheir — Medea(s) – Tskaltubo
François J. Bonnet — Étude spectrale
Beatriz Ferreyra — L’Orviétan
François Bayle — L’Infini du bruit
Acousmonium Handbook
INA grm
Acousmonium Handbook
Shelter Press
/
2026
Conceived and written by members of INA grm (Groupe de Recherches Musicales de l’Institut National de l’Audiovisuel), drawing on more than fifty years of experience in diffusing and presenting electroacoustic music in concert, the »Acousmonium Handbook« offers a synthetic exploration of the issues, techniques and methods applicable to acousmatic diffusion and sound spatialisation.
As a manual, it provides numerous keys to designing a multiphonic sound diffusion system of the acousmonium type (loudspeaker orchestra) and addresses, step by step, all the stages of an acousmatic concert, from setting up the system to the diffusion of the works.
Based on the observation that experimental music is still too often subject to traditional infrastructures and contingencies in concert settings, the handbook offers conceptual and practical guidance adaptable to a variety of contexts and systems in order to bring together as close as possible the concert experience and the act of listening.
Text: François J. Bonnet, Nicolas Debade, Jules Négrier, Emmanuel Richier
English version advising and proofreading: Arie Altena, Mark Poysden / GRM Acousmonium managers: Philippe Dao, Emmanuel Richier / Illustrations: Zeugl / Design: Bartolomé Sanson
Acousmonium
The Acousmonium is a sound diffusion system designed by François Bayle in 1974 and originally developed for the concert season of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM) at Maison de Radio France. It consists of loudspeakers of different sizes and shapes, positioned throughout a space to create an immersive and nuanced listening experience. The original system consisted of 80 loudspeakers and was designed for the playback of music from tape. Today, the system has been significantly upgraded with a digital playback system and a mixing console with motorised faders.
The Acousmonium is particularly associated with fixed media music – music composed for a fixed recording medium that does not require musicians or instruments to be performed live. The tradition draws on musique concrète, electroacoustic and acousmatic music, tape music and related practices. Although the works are fixed onto a medium, they are intended to be experienced in a live concert setting. How they are presented – through the positioning of the loudspeakers, the acoustics of the space and the movement of sound between the speakers – is therefore an integral part of the work.
A central question in working with an acousmonium is how to create the right conditions for listening. This can be understood as a form of dedicated listening: a focused and attentive way of listening, in which the choice of space, lighting, positioning and sound system all contribute to anchoring the listener in the experience.
There is no fixed model for an acousmonium. The system is adapted to technological and artistic developments, as well as to the space and context in which it is used. The workshop will therefore explore how an acousmonium can be installed, adapted and used in practice.
INA grm
INA grm (Groupe de Recherches Musicales) is a music research group within the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA). Since its establishment in 1958, it has played a central role in the development of electroacoustic and acousmatic music. Over several decades, GRM has worked across research, composition, production and the presentation of electronic music, and has been instrumental in the development and continued practice of the Acousmonium.
Organised in collaboration with INA grm and EKKO. The project is part of New Perspectives for Action; a project by Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the European Union.
Images: 1 and 3) Image: Photo: Didier Allard/INA grm 2, 4-5) Photo: INA grm
