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Thomas Köner (born 1965 in
Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
) is a multimedia artist whose main interest lies in combining visual and auditory experiences. The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
, in a review of Köner's work in 1997, calls him a "media artist," one who works between
installation
Installation may refer to:
* Installation (computer programs)
* Installation, work of installation art
* Installation, military base
* Installation, into an office, especially a religious (Installation (Christianity) Installation is a Christian l ...
,
sound art
Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound art ...
, ambient music and as one half of Porter Ricks dub techno. A noted characteristics of Köner's
dark ambient style are low drones and static soundscapes evocative of desolate, Arctic places.
For his audio-visual works, he was awarded
Golden Nica at
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the best known and longest running yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. It has been awarded since 1987 by Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria) ...
in Linz, Transmediale Award, Tiger Cub Award at
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
, ARCO Award Best Young Artist in Madrid, among others.
During Köner's solo exhibition of his video-art at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montreal, the museum described him as a major innovator in the contemporary music scene, as well as noted his collaborative practice which has led to his working with musicians, filmmakers and visual artists on installations and sound performances, and to his creation of six video works produced in two cycles, starting in 2003.
2006 Köner produced ''Station Eismitte'', a work inspired by
Alfred Wegener
Alfred Lothar Wegener (; ; 1 November 1880 – November 1930) was a German climatologist, geologist, geophysicist, meteorologist, and polar researcher.
During his lifetime he was primarily known for his achievements in meteorology and a ...
's 1930 arctic expedition and named after the
expedition's site.
2009 Köner created The Futurist Manifesto, a digital opera, to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the famous manifesto published in 1909 by
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist, and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye d ...
. It was commissioned by EMAP/EMARE. This work has been performed live several times in festivals across Europe with
Carl Faia and Iris Garrelfs.
Thomas Köner has been creating music for silent films since 1994, which he performs himself or with a small ensemble. His music for
F.W. Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer and screenwriter.
He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at t ...
’s ''
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...
'' was commissioned by the
Auditorium du Louvre in Paris and was premiered there in 2013 as part of the supporting program of the ''De l’Allemagne 1800 – 1939'' exhibition. So far, he has created and performed scores for 30 silent films including
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
's ''
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
'',
F.W. Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer and screenwriter.
He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at t ...
's ''
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...
'' and ''
Nosferatu
''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...
,''
Lotte Reiniger
Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger (2 June 1899 – 19 June 1981) was a German film director and the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation. Her best known films are ''The Adventures of Prince Achmed'', from 1926, the first feature-length animated fil ...
’s ''
Die Abenteuer Des Prinzen Achmed
''The Adventures of Prince Achmed'' (known as ''Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed'' in German) is a 1926 German animated fairytale film by Lotte Reiniger. It is the oldest surviving animated feature film; two earlier ones were made in Argentina ...
'' (''The Adventures Of Prince Ahmed'') among others.
Writing about his performance of
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
's ''
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
,'' Spanish national daily newspaper
El Pais
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
said that: "Thomas Köner envelops ''Metropolis'' in 21 century sounds".
Album discography
* 1990 ''
Nunatak Gongamur'' (
Barooni)
* 1992 ''
Teimo'' (Barooni)
* 1993 ''
Permafrost
Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...
'' (Barooni)
* 1995 ''
Aubrite
Aubrites are a group of meteorites named for Aubres, a small achondrite meteorite that fell near Nyons, France, in 1836. They are primarily composed of the orthopyroxene enstatite and are often called enstatite achondrites. Their igneous origin se ...
'' (Barooni)
* 1997 ''
Nuuk
Nuuk (; da, Nuuk, formerly ) is the capital and largest city of Greenland, a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities from other co ...
'' (part of the ''Driftworks'' box)
* 1998 ''
Kaamos'' (
Mille Plateaux
''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. It is the second and final volume of their collaborativ ...
)
* 2001 ''
Unerforschtes Gebiet'' (LP picture disc) (
Die Stadt)
* 2002 ''
Daikan
''Daikan'' (代官) was an official in Japan that acted on behalf of a ruling monarch or a lord at the post they had been appointed to. Since the Middle Ages, ''daikan'' were in charge of their territory and territorial tax collection. In the Edo ...
'' (
Mille Plateaux
''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. It is the second and final volume of their collaborativ ...
)
* 2003 ''Zyklop'' (
Mille Plateaux
''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. It is the second and final volume of their collaborativ ...
)
* 2009 ''
La Barca'' (CD version) (
Fario)
* 2012 ''Novaya Zemlya'' (
Touch
In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...
)
* 2014 ''Cloître'' (with Jana Winderen) (
Touch
In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...
)
* 2014 ''Tiento de las nieves'' (
Denovali)
* 2016 ''Tiento de la luz'' (
Denovali)
*2020 ''Motus'' (
Mille Plateaux
''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. It is the second and final volume of their collaborativ ...
)
Re-releases
* 1997 ''Teimo/Permafrost'' (2xCD re-release by
Mille Plateaux
''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the French psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. It is the second and final volume of their collaborativ ...
)
* 2003 ''
Unerforschtes Gebiet'' (CD release with bonus track) (Die Stadt)
* 2004 ''
Nuuk
Nuuk (; da, Nuuk, formerly ) is the capital and largest city of Greenland, a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities from other co ...
'' CD/DVD (
MillePlateauxMedia)
* 2010 ''Nunatak • Teimo • Permafrost'' (box re-release by
Type)
* 2010 ''La Barca'' (expanded 2xLP version) (Fario)
* 2014 ''La Barca (complete edition)'' (further expanded download version) (Thomas Köner
as Porter Ricks (with Andy Mellwig)
* 1996 ''
Biokinetics (Porter Ricks album), Biokinetics'' (
Chain Reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.
Chain reactions are one way that syst ...
)
* 1997 ''Porter Ricks'' (Mille Plateaux)
* 1999 Porter Ricks : Techno Animal ''Symbiotics'' (
Force Inc. Music Works
In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a pu ...
)
* 2016 ''Shadow Boat'' (Tresor)
* 2017 ''Anguilla Electrica'' (Tresor)
as Kontakt der Jünglinge (with
Asmus Tietchens
Asmus Tietchens (born 3 February 1947, in Hamburg), who also records under the monikers Hematic Sunsets and Club of Rome, is a German composer of avant-garde music.
Tietchens became interested in experimental music and musique concrète as a chi ...
)
* 2001 ''0'' (Die Stadt)
* 2001 ''1'' (Die Stadt)
* 2002 ''-1'' (Die Stadt)
* 2003 ''n'' (Die Stadt)
* 2014 ''Makrophonie 1'' (Die Stadt)
Awards
- German Sound Art Award
Deutsche Klangkunst-Preis / Produktionspreis WDR, Marl, 2004
- Golden Nica,
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the best known and longest running yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. It has been awarded since 1987 by Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria) ...
, Linz, 2004
- Tiger Cub Award, Best Short,
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
, 2005
-
transmediale
Transmediale, stylised as transmediale is an annual festival for art and digital culture in Berlin, usually held over five days at the end of January and the beginning of February. Transmediale takes the form of a conference (sometimes called ...
.05 Award, International Media Art Festival, Berlin, 2005
- ARCO Award Best Young Artist at Arco, Feria International de Arte Contemporaneo, Madrid, 2005
- Off Screen Award Best New Media Work,
Images Festival
The Images Festival is a yearly event devoted to independent and experimental film, video art, new media and media installation that takes place each spring in Toronto.
History
The Images festival was founded in 1987, originally conceived as ...
Toronto, 2007
- MuVi-Award for best German Music video, 55.
International Short Film Festival
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
Oberhausen, 2009
- Nomination for Nam June Paik Award, 2012
Artist-in-residence
- Cité International des Arts, Paris, 2001
- Villa Aurora, Los Angeles, 2006
- Villa Kamogawa, Kyoto, 2016
See also
*
List of ambient music artists
This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...
References
External links
Thomas Köner's websiteReview of ''The Futurist Manifesto'' on BCNinternet(the link is broken as of 2017-05-05)
*Review of ''Metropolis'' by Fritz Lang in El Pai
1965 births
German artists
Living people
German experimental musicians
People from Bochum
{{Germany-artist-stub