Performance still from SÅLE. Photo: Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard
Ultima’s commitment to sustainable sound practices
At Ultima, sustainability is a core value. Our strategy focuses, among other things, on collaborating locally and internationally to ensure sustainable use of resources, and achieve maximum artistic and social impact.
Last week, we wrapped up our digital meetup—Compose, Listen, Sustain!—where 45 composers and sound artists gathered for three days of lectures, workshop, and talks. With contributions by Joana Sá, Silje Sandodden Kise, Kathy Hinde, Bilge Serdar, Aleksander Tidemann, and Bjørnar Habbestad, we explored ecological consciousness, sustainable materials, flexible formats, and digital collaboration in music and sound art.
The high engagement and satisfaction highlighted the need for such exchange platforms, especially for freelancers seeking to share and develop their interdisciplinary practices.
Sustainable Composing & Creative Sound Practices
This event is part of our year-long programme, Sustainable Composing & Creative Sound Practices, made possible through our collaboration with Nordic Music Days and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. Through mentorship, digital residencies, and workshops, we support emerging composers and sound artists in eco-conscious approaches to composition.
We return to the festival this September with new workshops focusing on green technologies — with mentors such as Brian Bamanya (aka Afrorack).
Learn more about the programme.
Our first mentor: Afrorack
Constructing Africa’s first DIY modular synthesizer (the Afrorack), Bamanya gained recognition as Afrorack. The engineering wizard creates his own synthesizers by recycling Western gear and recalibrating it to fit African rhythms in a DIY approach that aligns with the circular economy model.
Afrorack will play his own live set during our festival in September. Stay tuned when we launch our full festival programme in early June.
Get involved
Join us in shaping the future of sustainable sound practices! Are you a composer or sound artist? See how you can get involved in Sustainable Composing & Creative Sound Practices.
