Two Sound Spaces - Two Anniversaries

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Villa Aurora and in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the passing of musician and composer Dieter Moebius, the large and small water reservoirs in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg will transform for three days into extraordinary sound spaces for experimental electronic music.

Developed by outstanding artists from Germany and the United States, this unique project brings together two large-scale sound installations that interact with the distinctive acoustics and architecture of the historic water reservoirs. These two sonic works explore the origins and evolution of electronic music between Germany and the U.S., while celebrating the power of artistic collaboration—across borders and generations.

With Plasmatron, acclaimed Hamburg-based composer and sound artist Felix Kubin presents a commissioned sound installation by Villa Aurora that transforms the Great Water Reservoir into a futuristic high-voltage laboratory. The multi-channel composition is based on audio recordings from real high-voltage labs (HSU Hamburg and ETH Zurich)—a sonic spectrum of electrical discharges, power fields, and abstract signals that fills and reveals the space’s concentric architecture. Evening live performances with video artist Josephin Böttger expand the auditory experience: in a choreographed video show, Böttger projects mobile light and video sequences onto the walls of the structure, interacting in real-time with Felix Kubin’s live-generated sound impulses.

In the Small Water Reservoir, the audio installation Moebius Strips celebrates its European premiere—a sonic tribute to Dieter Moebius (1944–2015), created by Grammy-nominated American composer Tim Story, a longtime collaborator and friend of Moebius. Based on thousands of original recordings by the musician, 18 new compositions—so-called "Strips"—have been created by a group of internationally acclaimed artists who either worked with or were deeply influenced by Moebius. Contributors include Geoff Barrow (Portishead), Sarah Davachi, Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air), Felix Kubin, Eve Maret, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Phew, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Michael Rother, and Yuri Suzuki. The installation is complemented by a newly composed piece from Berlin-based sound artist Hanna Hartman, a 2010 Villa Aurora fellow.

Dieter Moebius's deep connection to Berlin—particularly his formative years in the legendary Zodiac Club of the 1970s, where he collaborated with other electronic music pioneers like Conrad Schnitzler and Hans-Joachim Roedelius—is the foundation of Moebius Strips. The installation reflects the collaborative spirit of Moebius’s work, whose influence continues to resonate today. Moebius Strips was first presented at Villa Aurora in 2022 and is now being shown in Berlin for the first time as part of this anniversary celebration.

This special anniversary program featuring Plasmatron and Moebius Strips offers insight into the roots and trajectories of electronic music, the rich collaborations between sound art, techno, and krautrock, and the creative exchange between Germany and the United States. It invites audiences into an open, immersive experience—one that places diverse sonic worlds into dialogue and allows for deeply personal encounters with sound.