Athens Epidaurus Festival X Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center X Monom
June 6-12
SNFCC DOME
The Athens Epidaurus Festival and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) join forces this year, launching their dynamic partnership with a groundbreaking sound installation that merges technology, art, and music, curated by Stavros Gasparatos. For the very first time in Greece, MONOM—a Berlin-based studio and the most experienced in the world working with the 4DSOUND system—presents a series of works created specifically for this medium. These immersive compositions invite audiences into a radically expanded field of listening, where sound becomes space, movement, and emotion.
At the Dome of the SNFCC, MONOM will install a large-scale 4DSOUND system composed of 48 omnidirectional speakers and 9 subwoofers. This state-of-the-art setup will transform the space into a holographic acoustic environment, enveloping the audience from all directions and revealing the power of multi-dimensional sound to shape communities of listeners—reshaping how we perceive live music.
The installation will invite visitors to immerse themselves in mesmerising sound worlds, while a series of live musical performances will fully demonstrate the unrivalled potential of holographic sound, ensuring that listeners undergo a truly transformative experience.
MONOM is an artist-run studio working at the intersection of spatial sound, music, art, and technology. From sound art and music to theatre, opera, dance, and the immersive realms of virtual and augmented realities, they provide space and time for anyone who wants to expand the dimensions of their creative practice and to enrich communal and individual experiences of sound and art. MONOM’s work comes to life in spaces specifically designed for the exploration of sonic and spatial arts. Their work has been featured by institutions and events such as Barbican Immersive, CTM Festival Berlin, MUTEK, The New York Times Climate Forward, D’strict, Google, Reethaus, Mercer Labs: Museum for Art and Technology, COP26, and more, fostering a global community dedicated to expanding the boundaries of sound and art.
Please note that the installation includes loud, amplified sounds as an integral part of its operation.
Programme
10:00 – 14:00 Family Project
The King of Grey and Silence
By Sofianna Theofanous, in collaboration with MONOM studio
A tender allegory-cum-fairytale for all ages, where words and sounds come alive to transport us to enchanting realms—a heartfelt tribute to the power of art, hope, and imagination.
Suitable for the entire family
Duration: 30′
Free entrance
Produced by MONOM | Text and Dramaturgy: Sofianna Theofanous | Music & Sound Design: Louis McGuire | Composition & 4DSOUND Spatialization: William Russell & Louis McGuire | Additional Composition by: William Russell & Paul Benham | 4DSOUND Engineer: Shehryar Ahmad | Contributions by: ATŌMI & Akshat Nagar | MONOM Studio Coordinator: Alejandra Ríos
Co-production Athens Epidaurus Festival—Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) • The SNFCC’s participation is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
17.30
MONOM, The Elements: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind and Aether
A purely sonic experience, The Elements explores our deep connection to the forces that shape existence.
Throughout history, the elements have driven scientific discovery, philosophical thought, and cultural rituals. They have defined how we understand the world and our place within it.
This installation invites visitors to engage with these elemental forces through sound—offering a space to listen, feel, and reconnect with what lies both around and within us. We are, after all, composed of these very elements.
Composed and spatialized by MONOM and collaborators, the work features contributions from William Russell, Shehryar Ahmad, Alessandra Denegri, Casimir Geelhoed, Louis McGuire, Jacob Kristin, Shaw Cain Hawkins, Temple Haze, Walter Nied, Alisa Reimer, Soneiro, Fernando Derks, Andy Aquarius, and Romain Azzaro.
18.30-23.00
MONOM Archive Show
Four works specially created for the 4DSOUND system
Suzane Ciani, “Improvisation on Four Sequences”
In “Improvisation on Four Sequences” by the legendary Suzanne Ciani, the vibrant legacy of electronic music comes fully alive. From the groundbreaking energy of the American avant-garde in the late 1960s to the driving pulse of the L.A. and New York club scenes, Ciani encapsulates decades of sonic evolution in a breathtaking performance, capturing every key moment in the lineage of electronic sound from the 1970s onward with her improvisations. Ciani’s unmatched precision, deep sonic sensitivity, and foundational role in shaping the genre converge into a performance that is as technically masterful as it is emotionally electrifying.
Evita Manji, “Echo(location) Chamber”
“Echo(location) Chamber” is a spatial composition that explores internal landscapes, where echoes outline the contours of space in darkness and music expresses what words cannot. This haunting soundtrack meditates on the resonance of space and the rhythmic pulse of sound, tying the ephemeral to the profound. In this piece, the echo chamber evolves beyond a mere loop of repetition—it transforms into a dynamic environment where soundwaves rebound and return, gradually uncovering the emotional terrain hidden within the void.
Cinna Peyghamy, “Live at MONOM (25.05.24)”
Cinna Peyghamy’s live performance at the MONOM studio mesmerised the audience, taking them on a captivating journey that merged the traditional resonance of the tombak with the avant-garde possibilities of the modular synthesiser. His improvised sequences unfold seamlessly, intertwining Persian percussion and electronic innovation. Peyghamy’s mastery of the tombak provides a rhythmic foundation rich in cultural depth, whilst the modular synthesiser adds an ethereal, futuristic layer—creating a harmonious blend that defies genre boundaries. The session featured a back-to-back collaboration with MONOM’s creative director and spatial artist, William Russell, enhancing the live experience through real-time spatialisation. This performance was recorded, capturing an ephemeral moment that will live on as a permanent sound installation.
Andrea Belfi, “Above my Door, There Is Knocking”
“Above My Door, There Is Knocking” by drummer and composer Andrea Belfi focuses on two acoustic percussive instruments: a bass drum and a cymbal. Both instruments merge into a broader electronic composition, creating a musical body that expands into orchestral dynamics. The 28-minute sound piece enlarges the intrinsic sonic qualities of these instruments within the room, where the expansion and contraction of sound elements draw the listener into an abstract narrative shaped by alternating moments of vulnerability and assertiveness.
Tuesday, June 10
Spyros Polichronopoulos LIVE: Nearfield
An immersive multi-channel experience in which the boundaries between natural and synthetic sound gradually dissolve. Fragmented soundscapes, percussive sounds, drone resonances sparked by strings, and shifting layers of modular synths collide and melt through multiple layers of digital processing. Nearfield veers toward the extremes of the auditory spectrum—from piercing high frequencies to a dense and almost tangible low end—drawing the audience into an intimate sonic terrain. In this hyper-focused landscape, the act of listening is heightened, amplifying the smallest gestures and hidden sonic traces that flicker just beneath the surface.
Produced by MONOM • Composition Spyros Polichronopoulos • Composition & 4DSOUND Spatialisation William Russell, Spyros Polichronopoulos • 4DSOUND Engineer Shehryar Ahmad
Thursday, June 12
Ben Frost Live: The Light Mistaken for Morning
An otherworldly new work by Ben Frost with MONOM
Ben Frost, known for his collaborations with prominent artists such as Björk, Tim Hecker, Colin Stetson, and Swans, presents a brand-new work, tailor-made for MONOM’s groundbreaking 4DSOUND system. A sonic visionary who continually pushes the boundaries of sound, Frost is known for his visceral and uncompromising sonic palette, pushing through genres like minimalism, experimental, industrial, and noise. In this piece, he turns his focus to the very architecture of sound itself, sculpting an environment that envelops the listener in shifting layers of texture, energy, and space.
Produced by MONOM • Composition Ben Frost | 4DSOUND Spatialization Ben Frost • Lead 4DSOUND Engineer William Russell • Second 4DSOUND Engineer Shehryar Ahmad
