IFEM: Strange Relaxation in the Northern Wastes
The third IFEM (Inari Festival of Experimental Music) is approaching fast. Between September 5th and 7th, experimental artists and experimental directors will meet at an experimental gathering for experimental audiences in the „northern wastes“ of Finland. Over the past two editions, IFEM has expanded from being a mere congragation of sound artist to including film and video and turning into a highly anticipated event for artists from Finland, Lithuania, the US, Greece and the UK. Spread out over three nights, the program for this year will include the festival's co-organisor Simon Wickham-Smith (UK) as well as filmic contributions by the likes of Patrick Beveridge, George A. and Pekka K. Next to providing truly leftfield presentations, IFEM also prides itself on offering them at equally unusual places and venues. „On the Saturday afternoon a boat trip around Lake Inari willconclude with a concert on one of the larger islands“, the organisors promise – quite a prospect.
What distinguishes IFEM from the myriad of independent festivals of a similar stylistic outreach is its focus on close interaction between listeners and musicians. Georgis Apostolakis, for example, will entice the public to join him during his pocket instrument performance and all events are branded as „discrete concerts“, with intimate settings and open borders. Marketing efforts are purposefully held farily low, with most information about INARI taking the word of mouth route. As a result, the event is a wilful and „strange mixture of relaxation and intense experiment in the late Summer“, sure to draw upon a crowd hungry for active participation instead of passive consumption.
Homepage: IFEM Festival
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