Soundscapes in the Garden, Day 4: In dialogue with Fujiko Nakaya

• Saturday, August 30, 2025
  
• In dialogue with Fujiko Nakaya:
  
• Alva Noto
  
• Stephen O’Malley
  
• Ryuichi Sakamoto
  
• 11 a.m. – 1 a.m. (rotating every hour on the hour)
  
• Free admission with valid museum ticket (Long Night of Museums)
  

Until September 14, 2025, the Neue Nationalgalerie is presenting a new site-specific fog sculpture by the Japanese artist in its sculpture garden, which monumentally and ephemerally plays around Mies van der Rohe's iconic architecture.


The Lange Nacht der Museen offers an opportunity to experience the fog sculpture from a new perspective. Nakaya has repeatedly brought her sculptures into dialogue with music and sound art. The fourth day of “Soundscapes in the Garden” continues this tradition, combining the fog sculpture with hourly sound installations by selected musicians who have worked or continue to work closely with Nakaya:

In direct exchange with the artistic estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto, pieces were selected that Sakamoto composed in relation to Nakaya's fog sculptures. Alva Noto and Stephen O'Malley, on the other hand, will compose or rework new musical works especially for the installation at the Neue Nationalgalerie.


Under the name Alva Noto, artist Carsten Nicolai (born in 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt) is one of the leading figures in contemporary electronic music. Inspired by science and mathematics, he creates minimalist soundscapes, often characterized by codes, error structures, and coincidences. His performances have taken him to renowned museums worldwide, including the Tate Modern, the Centre Pompidou, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. His multimedia works combine music with visual and spatial installations. Nicolai has been a professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts since 2015. His work consistently transcends genre boundaries and combines art, science, and technology.


Stephen O’Malley (born 1974, Seattle) is a guitarist, producer, composer, and visual artist, known as the co-founder of Sunn O))), KTL, and Khanate. For over two decades, he has shaped the drone and experimental music scene with interdisciplinary work characterized by great stylistic breadth and depth. He has collaborated with Scott Walker and Jim Jarmusch, as well as research institutions such as IRCAM, INA-GRM (Paris), and EMS (Stockholm). O'Malley's concerts are dense sound rituals of minimalist, electrified guitar sound and expansive resonances.


Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) was an influential Japanese composer, pianist, and producer. He rose to international fame in the 1970s as a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Sakamoto went on to compose many award-winning film soundtracks, including for The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Since the 2000s, he has worked increasingly with electronic and avant-garde acts, often with Alva Noto. His last works, including the album “12” released in 2023, show a reduced, introspective style. Sakamoto remains unforgettable as a stylistically versatile sound visionary.