About the event
There are at least 307 different ways to use a piano. It’s not necessary to list them all; for now, a few will do:
a piano as a speaker
a piano as a sculpture
a recycled piano
a piano that captures the wind
a piano in dialogue with the landscape
The third edition of the “úúú” sound event series, part of Trenčín 2026, explores the possibilities of the piano, which no longer serves as a musical instrument but has taken on several new functions. One of these is its transformation into a monumental wooden loudspeaker situated above the landscape near Nové Mesto nad Váhom.
We find ourselves at the intersection of sound art, sculpture, and land art. Here, Canadian composer and sound installation artist Gordon Monahan has long been exploring his interest in the physicality of sound and the laws of nature, which he recreates using man-made objects.
The piano – a sound object – becomes the carrier of its own sound track; at the same time, it interacts with the landscape and the weather, naturally amplifying and recomposing their sounds.
Umelectvo
Gordon Monahan (1956) creates works for piano, speakers, video, kinetic sculpture, and computer-generated sound environments that span various genres – from avant-garde concert music to multimedia installations and sound art. As a composer and sound artist, he contrasts the quantitative and qualitative aspects of natural acoustic phenomena with elements of media technologies, the natural environment, architecture, popular culture, and live performance. In addition to sound installations and performances in the field of sound art, he also composes concert music for traditional instruments. John Cage once said of him: “At the piano, Gordon Monahan produces sounds we haven’t heard before.”
Since 1978, Monahan has performed and exhibited in numerous public spaces, museums, galleries, and festivals, including Hamburger Bahnhof (Berlin), the Venice Biennale, the Secession (Vienna), the Ultima Festival (Oslo), the Hebbel Theater (Berlin), The Kitchen (New York), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Merkin Hall (New York), and Massey Hall (Toronto).
sound installation
Piano Listening to Itself at Beckov Castle
A piano is suspended on top of Beckov Castle. Piano recordings are transmitted into long piano strings attached to the piano, causing it to vibrate in sympathy. Additional sounds caused by aeolian wind tones mix with the piano recordings, creating a spontaneous acoustic composition of piano music interacting with atmospheric harmonies.
For this version, Gordon Monahan references the piano music of Hummel, Chopin, and Cowell to create new compositions that are transmitted into the piano installed at the castle.
Gordon Monahan’s works for piano, loudspeakers, video, kinetic sculpture, and computer-controlled sound environments span various genres from avant-garde concert music to multi-media installation and sound art. As a composer and sound artist, he juxtaposes the quantitative and qualitative aspects of natural acoustical phenomena with elements of media technology, natural environments, architecture, popular culture, and live performance. In addition to creating a significant number of sound installations and sound art performances, Monahan also composes concert music for traditional instruments. The renowned composer John Cage once said, “At the piano, Gordon Monahan produces sounds we haven’t heard before.”
Since 1978, Monahan has performed and exhibited at numerous performance spaces, museums, galleries, and festivals, including Hamburger Bahnhof (Berlin), the Venice Biennale, the Secession (Vienna), Ultima Festival (Oslo), Hebbel Theater (Berlin), The Kitchen (NY), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Merkin Hall (NY), and Massey Hall (Toronto).
2026
no language barrier
The úúú series is a space for cultivating (not only) sonic sensitivity in the time of the sixth mass extinction. It presents sound performances, interventions, installations, workshops, lectures, and discussions – all inviting us to listen to the Loud New World. It calls for quieting down, for delighting in sonic subtleties, and for seeking new paths out of today’s crises. Our attention turns to everything from the rumble of the highway overpass and the mole’s soft burrowing beneath the soil to the echoes of deserted factory halls and the wind brushing against the castle rock in Trenčín
It all unfolds in the city and in the everyday.
Séria úúú je aktivitou projektu Sila zvuku, ktorý je súčasťou Trenčín 2026. Trenčín 2026 finančne podporujú Mesto Trenčín, Trenčiansky samosprávny kraj a Ministerstvo kultúry SR. Partnerom je Európska únia.