Zachęta National Gallery of Art

artists: Marcin Maciejowski, Anna Molska, Bartek Materka, grupy Twożywo
curator: Joanna Kordjak-Piotrowska
music programme: Michał Libera
educational programme: Zofia Dubowska-Grynberg, Magdalena Komornicka, Stanisław Welbel

The project Stories of the Ear was inspired by the cooperation between the Ludwig van Beethoven Society, organizer of the 15th Easter Ludwig van Beethoven festival, and the artists who have created poster projects to promote this musical event, such as the Group Twożywo, Bartek Materka, Marcin Maciejowski and the author of the visual component for the upcoming festival, Anna Molska. The presentation of selected works by these artists will act as a pretext for a wide-ranging exploration of the connections between the visual arts and sound.

Beyond its exhibition component, Stories of the Ear also comprises a rich educational project, acting as an entry point for diverse activities linked to this theme. The exhibition is thus conceived first and foremost as a space of visual-musical workshops catering for young and very young art viewers. These workshops deal with different aspects of sounds and the ways of perceiving them. They also treat the question of disability and the ability to navigate one’s way though a world full of not only aural chaos. Elements of sign language and Makaton lead on into discussions about otherness and ways of expressing this visually and in music. For a wider public a rich programme of accompanying events has been created, including concerts and meetings – under the common title Hyperacusis. Music Not for the Ear, in which the major theme will be sounds inaudible to the ear.