Showcase Emerging Sound 2026

STUK, Q-O2, Musica and C-TAKT present an annual showcase of new sound art in Belgium. Following an open call, four promising sound artists were selected: Aminata Soumaré, Hannah Lyssens, Élie Bolard and George Dhauw. Each artist received a residency and artistic support and will present their work during Showcase Emerging Sound 2026 at STUK.

This edition features two installations and two performances. The installations can be visited throughout the evening in the Ateliers, from 19h till 22h.

Les Siffleuses (French for ‘the whistlers’) is a sound sculpture by French artist Élie Bolard, who is based in Belgium. As is often the case in his work, Bolard combines a clumsy DIY approach with ingenious technology. Beer bottles take centre stage in this sound sculpture. When the wind blows into them, they produce their characteristic, hollow whistling sound. Using a hydraulic system, Bolard can fill the bottles with water or drain them, allowing him to vary their pitch: full bottles sound higher, empty ones lower. Each bottle has its own voice, reminiscent of a bird call. Together, they create a dynamic musical interplay between seemingly living organisms.

In the other atelier, George Dhauw is exhibiting his new series, Cracking: sculptures made from fabric, paper and other textured materials that react to the presence of visitors via sensors. Anyone approaching the works triggers a series of micro-sounds: friction, resonance, the sound of a surface under tension.

Alongside the installations, there are two live performances, starting at 20h in the Labozaal.

Aminata Soumaré presents Majesa, an audio collage for a spatial speaker setup. The work explores the representation of Black women in media and culture. Drawing on material from African American archives and Flemish media, Soumaré examines how persistent stereotypes continue to shape our collective imagination. Voices from interviews, speeches and media fragments overlap and collide in a spatial soundscape, where distance and proximity make tension and presence tangible. Majesa invites us to listen as a form of attention, care and resistance.

Hannah Lyssens moves between sound art, podcasting, research and participation. She approaches listening as an active practice centred on dialogue and reflection. In her performance Oefening voor het fonoceen Nr. 1, foley sound and live electronics come together in an imaginary sound environment. Using everyday objects and field recordings of human and non-human sounds, Lyssens explores how we can listen to a changing world.