Folkwang Day at the Visiodrom Wuppertal

On Friday, July 15, Visiodrom Wuppertal became a big stage for the Folkwang University Essen for the first time. Under the direction of four professors,  the Institute for Computer Music and Electronic Media (ICEM) presented unique works from the fields of composition and visualization. These included fixed installations, live music as well as interactive sound and image installations.

With its 360-degree screen, the Wuppertal Visiodrom offered the Folkwang University actors extraordinary opportunities to stage their works. On Folkwang Day, the 60-meter-high screens displayed the unique visualizations of the professors and students of the Essen University of the Arts, consisting of bright colors and abstract figures. Combined with sounds and dance, the unique program provided an immersive experience for visitors. In addition to the extraordinary program in the Visiodrom, students presented live music in a unique ambience on the roof of the gas boiler.

The interaction of art, building and visitors created a unique experience that could only be experienced on this day at the Visiodrom. Through the interactive sound and image installations, the building itself became a sound body and the visitors could directly influence the art. “Via a sensor, their movements in front of it are recorded and translated,” explains Claudius Lazzeroni, professor of interface design and cybernetic sound objects.

The Folkwang Day was a first contact between the art university and the unusual venue, which could be followed by others. “The Folkwang Day showed that Visiodrom is a modern open cultural space whose possibilities go far beyond the performances of immersive shows. It is a unique place and we are very happy to have found equally unique people with the ICEM of the Folkwang University, who are happy to accept the challenge,” said Christian Höher, project manager of the Folkwang Day of Visiodrom GmbH.

The professors and students of the Folkwang University Essen, were enthusiastic about the architecture of the gas boiler and the possibilities that were offered to them in the Visiodrom: “It is as far away from the classical concert or cinema hall as is conceivable. A round building like a barrel, an acoustically highly unfavorable basic shape, and also with strong reverberation. Something like this always appeals to us! In addition, there is the possibility of complete visual immersion, which means that the walls, ceilings and floor can be completely covered with videos – and that with these huge dimensions,” says Professor Thomas Neuhaus about the Folkwang Day in the Visiodrom.