Family day at BEK
Published
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of sonic experimentation for all ages at BEK – Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts.
Sunday, March 16. 13:00–16:00
BEK, C. Sundts gate 55, floor 9.
Free entry
Featuring workshops from festival artists and drop-in hands on sound play, the afternoon is open for all. Even if you’re not taking part in a workshop there’s plenty of room for colouring and space to roll around for the smallest, and lots of coffee and waffles for those who need it.
Stop by BEK to explore the universes of sounds at our fingertips.
Listen, Play, and Explore Sound with Elin Már Øyen Vister!
Artist and composer Elin Már Øyen Vister invites children and adults alike to listen, improvise, move, and discover new sounds together. We will explore how sound feels in the body, how we can find calm through listening – and even how we can sing together like a flock of birds!
Start times: 13:00, 14:00, and 15:00.
Each session lasts about 45 minutes. No registration is required, but once a session starts, no more participants will be admitted. So choose the time that suits you best and arrive early. Best suited for children aged 5 and up. Wear clothes that allow you to move freely.
What’s happening?
- We start with dance and movement.
- We practice listening – to ourselves, the room, and the sounds outside.
- We hear the sounds of the bird cliffs in Røst and feel the bass vibrations in our bodies.
- We experiment with how sound travels and what it feels like to hear sound in our heads through a contact microphone.
- We share our experiences in a circle.
- We improvise – find your inner bird and join the bird choir!
We create a cozy space with mats, plants, and soft lighting, where we can sit on the floor and listen together. There will be technical gadgets for sound experiments, and for those who want, we have bird masks to try on for fun!
For BEK Family Day, Elin Már will be joined by Bodø/bådåddjo based dancer/coreographer Yohei Yamada (JP) who will lead the physical part of the workshop.
Elin Már Øyen Vister
Elin Már is a genderqueer Norwegian artist based in the Røst archipelago, the westernmost part of the Lofot/Lofuohhta islands in Sábme/The north of Norway. Their artistic research practice is slow-moving, curious, and site-specific, inspired by Deep Listening, intersectional and eco feminist perspectives, social justice movements and Indigenous philosophy and methodologies.
Yohei Hamada
Yohei Hamada (b. 1987, Osaka) is a dance artist and dance thinker based in Bodø/Bådåddjo, who holds BA Liberal Arts (2007-2011) MA in Philosophy from Yokohama National University (2011-2013). He has been investigating the posthuman dance among the living bodies and both natural and cultural “things”, and the state of the body that can dance with the things. For Hamada, dance is an intellectual act to recognize the dynamic world as it is.
Sound and Movement Workshop
This workshop is all about letting kids explore sound and movement in a hands-on way. Children will have the chance to experiment with a custom-built instrument that translates movement into sound, designed so that anyone can play—no musical experience needed. The activities blend sound manipulation with dance, drawing, and spatial play. Through exploring these different forms of expression, kids can discover new ways to think about sound and movement. The focus is on exploration, having fun, and using all the senses to experiment and create in an inclusive and welcoming environment.
Karina Sletten
Karina Sletten is a sound artist and the producer of In the Expanded Field, a platform looking to educate people on the topic of sound. Sletten studies pedagogy, and aims to use experimental tasks to explore ways of seeing and listening.
Sean Minhui Tashi Chua
Sean Minhui Tashi Chua is bad at playing traditional instruments so he made his own and now you can play them too. When he isn’t doing that he works as a scientist doing climate research and tries to listen to the planet.
This workshop is part of In the Expanded Field, a mediation platform on sound art.
The family day at BEK is part of Borealis – a festival for experimental music taking place in Bergen 12–16 March. In addition to the Family day, BEK collaborates with Borealis on the work Heart Gate by Palestinian artist Dakn داكنْ, commissioned by BEK in collaboration with Another Sky Festival. See the detailed festival programme at borealis.no.
Accessibility
BEK’s space unfortunately is not wheelchair accessible. Please send us an email at bek@bek.no if you’re using a wheelchair, and we’ll do our best to facilitate your needs. Our space has all gender toilet facilities. Service dogs are welcome. We also provide the option of a quiet room.
Image: Photo: Thor Brødeskift / Graphics: Borealis