Scan Magazine | Culture Profile | SPOR Festival
Left: Anne Berit Asp Christensen & Anne Marqvardsen. Photo: Marc Fluri. Above: Exhibition piece Ord for Ord by Niels Rønsholdt. Photo: Samuel Olandersson. Middle: 2016 Art Installation. Photo: Lawrence Malstaf. Right: WYSI(N)WYG = This year’s theme: What You See Is (Not) What You Get. Photo: Pulsk Ravn.
A playground for contemporary music SPOR festival started in 2005 as a platform for contemporary music to be performed and engaged with. Spread throughout Aarhus, the festival runs from 12-15 May, attracting artists and audiences from around the world. By Josefine Older Steffensen
Anna Berit Asp Christensen and Anne Marqvardsen have been festival directors for SPOR festival since 2007. Every year they work with different curators to produce an original theme, and were themselves the curators for the festival in 2007. To produce this year’s festival, they invited Nadar Ensemble from Belgium to work with them. “Music and sound are our main focus, and as a natural part of that we also present a wide range of related art forms at the festival,” explains Christensen. “When you step into one of our concerts it’s like stepping into a piece of art.” The festival is accessible for all, irrespective of your experience with contemporary music. “We cover a big repertoire 126 | Issue 88 | May 2016
reaching and showcasing many aspects of contemporary music and art, as we want to open up the field to the audience, whether they are newcomers or connoisseurs,” says Christensen.
What you see is (not) what you get The theme for this year explores the differences between our digital and physical identities and bodies, testing real and virtual spaces. “Because technology plays such a big part in our lives, we wanted to explore that relationship further through music. The theme ‘What You See Is (Not) What You Get’ is all about identity and different notions of reality,” explains Marqvardsen. The artists come from across the world and range from new to established per-
formers and composers. “We try to provide a space where young composers can express themselves,” says Christensen. “We collaborate with a lot of partners throughout Aarhus, so the festival is almost like a city tour. You get to go to all kinds of spaces, everything from public spaces to cafés and clubs.” The different venues mean that some performances are very intimate, sometimes even one to one, while other shows are performed in front of hundreds of spectators. “There is always a fantastic atmosphere at SPOR,” says Marqvardsen. “It becomes a social place. People chat, discuss and share their experiences over a cold beer, while engaging with the music.” SPOR presents film screenings and exhibitions from 8 May 2016. To view the full programme and for information on tickets and more, please visit: www.sporfestival.dk