Bernhard Gál is an Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n artist, composer and musicologist.

Biography

Bernhard Gál (a.k.a. Gal) works between the categories, creating music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 for instrument

Musical instrument

A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...

s and electro-acoustic compositions

Musical composition

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...

, as well as art installations

Installation art

Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...

. Many of his intermedia

Intermedia

Intermedia was a concept employed in the mid-sixties by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the ineffable, often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting...

 art projects and sound installation

Sound installation

Sound installation is an intermedia and time based art form. It is an expansion of an art installation in the sense that it includes the sound element and therefore the time element...

s present combinations of sound

Sound

Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...

, light

Light

Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...

, objects, video projections and spatial concepts. He is director of the Austrian art organization "sp ce" and runs the record label Gromoga Records. Gals work has been presented in concerts, installations

Installation art

Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...

 and exhibitions throughout Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and The Americas. He has been invited to music and art festivals including Donaueschinger Musiktage Germany; Donaufestival Austria; FILE São Paulo; ICMC Berlin; Inventionen Berlin; Jeunesse Festival Vienna; MaerzMusik Berlin; MATA Festival New York; Musashino Public Art Festival Tokyo, Musicacoustica Beijing; Mutek Montreal; Nuova Consonanza Rome; New Sound, New York-Festival, NYC; Sonambiente Berlin; Soundfield Festival Chicago; Festival Stimme+, ZKM, Karlsruhe; Wien Modern Festival. He has collaborated with artists such as Yumi Kori, P. Michael Schultes, G.S. Sedlak, and Emre Tuncer. For his work, Gal has received numerous awards, including the Karl Hofer Prize Berlin 2001, a fellowship from the DAAD Artists in Berlin Programme 2003, the Austrian State Scholarship for Composition 2004, and the Outstanding Artist Award for Music of the City of Vienna 2010. His music has been made available on ca. 30 audio publications, by record labels such as Durian

Durian

The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...

, Plate Lunch

Plate lunch

The plate lunch The plate lunch The plate lunch (Hawaiian: pā mea ai is a syncretic menu item that is a quintessential part of the cuisine of Hawaii, roughly equivalent to a Southern U.S. meat-and-threes plate. However, the inclusion of pan-Asian ingredients makes the plate lunch unique to Hawaii....

, Intransitive Records, Bremsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung is electromagnetic radiation produced by the deceleration of a charged particle when deflected by another charged particle, typically an electron by an atomic nucleus. The moving particle loses kinetic energy, which is converted into a photon because energy is conserved. The term is...

, Klanggalerie, Charhizma, and Gromoga. Currently Gál lives and works in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 and Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

.

Selected Instrumental Works

• "becuadro", for brass quartet and light projection, 2008
• "behape", for 2 clarinets and sound projection, 2006
• "Klangschatten", for Chinese instruments, sound- and light projection, 2004
• "UTOO", for chamber ensemble and sound projection, 2004
• "belit", composition for chamber ensemble and light projection, 2004
• "uh-jeh-gal", for zheng, sheng and live electronics, 2004
• "vür fier", for quartertone-trumpet, guitar, sheng / xun and zheng, 2003
• "Defragmentation", for chamber ensemble, 2002
• "Mount Blanc", for (amplified) piano, 2002
• "beshadowed", for flute, violoncello, sound- and light projection, 2002
• "Of Sound and Time", for traditional Chinese instruments and three listeners, 2000

Selected exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions / Intermedia Art Projects

• stromlinien; KoFoMi 2010, Mittersill, Austria, 2010
• mil águas. DMAE Gallery, Porto Alegre, Brasil, 2009
• solo. Allgemeiner Konsumverein, Braunschweig, Germany, 2009
• RGB. Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt (Austria), 2008
• solo. Lakeside Science & Technology Park, Klagenfurt (Austria), 2008
• Reinstallation. O Lugar, São Paulo, 2008
• Die Grüne Hölle. Kunstverein Alte Schmiede, Vienna, 2008
• Klangbojen, Festival Donaueschinger Musiktage, Germany, 2007
• Jukai. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. The David Winton Bell Gallery, Providence, 2007
• solo. Musik aktuell 2007, Gutenbrunn, Austria, 2007
• solo. Musik aktuell 2007, Tulln, Austria, 2007
• shinkai. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. ISE Foundation, New York City, 2006
• Reinstallation. Festival Electric Eclectics, Meaford (Canada), 2006
• Die Grüne Hölle. Festival Sonambiente, Gallery of the Austrian Embassy, Berlin, 2006
• Airport. Musikinstrumenten-Museum, Berlin, 2006
• Infinitation (Seattle). In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Center of Contemporary Art, Seattle, 2005
• Hinaus:: In den, Wald. Diapason Gallery, New York, 2005
• Defragmentation (Krems). In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Donaufestival, Krems, 2005
• Night Pulses. O.K. Centrum für Gegenwartskunst, Linz, 2004
• RGBuSW. singuhr - hoergalerie in parochial, Berlin, 2004
• Klangbojen. Musik aktuell 2003, Hanslteich, Gutenbrunn (Austria), 2003
• Klangbojen. Musik aktuell 2003, Donau-Altarm, Tulln (Austria), 2003
• Machina temporis. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Franziskaner-Klosterruine, Berlin, 2002
• RGB. Kunstverein Alte Schmiede, Vienna, 2001
• zhu shui. Jazzatelier Ulrichsberg, Austria, 2000
• Defragmentation/red. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Kryptonale Festival, Berlin, 2000
• Dissociated Voices. Werkstadt Graz, Graz, 2000
• Defragmentation/blue. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Studio Five Beekman, New York, 1999

Group Exhibitions

• RGB. das weisse haus, Vienna
• enelten. Area 53, Vienna
• Reinstallation. Festival Musicacoustica, Beijing, 2007
• Hyohaku-no-Hakobune. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Kobe Bienal, Kobe, 2007
• Shinkai. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Japan Society, New York City, 2007
• Hinaus:: In den, Wald. Galeria Vermelho, São Paulo, 2007
• RADIO EARS (textur #2). Magyar Muehely Galéria, Budapest, 2007
• Infinitation (São Paulo). In collaboration with Yumi Kori. SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, 2006
• RGB. Klangturm, St. Poelten, Austria, 2006
• Defragmentation (ISCP). In collaboration with Yumi Kori. ISCP, New York City, 2005
• soundbagism. Denver International Airport, USA, 2004
• Oelbilder. Festival Reservoir VIII. Grosser Wasserspeicher, Berlin, 2004
• Three Whites. Sound Art Exhibition ‘Rock’s Role‘, Art in General, New York, 2004
• zhu shui. MATA-Festival. Gallery ‘GAle GAtes et al.’ New York, 2003
• Green Voice / Green Box. In collaboration with Yumi Kori. Musashino, Tokyo, 2002
• enelten. Sound Off Festival. Galéria Umenia, Nové Zámky, Slowakia, 2002
• I am sHitting in a room. Durian-Festival. Konzerthaus, Wien, 2002
• Hinaus:: In den, Wald. Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg (Austria), 2001
• bestimmung darmstadt. Museum Institut Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt, 2000
• NYC Subway. Jonathan Shorr Gallery, New York City, 1998

Discography

Main publications

• same difference (Gromoga, 2010)
• relive (Gromoga, 2008)
• Installations (DVD version) (Gromoga, 2007)
• Installations (CD version) (Gromoga, 2005)
• going round in serpentines (with Kai Fagaschinski
  Kai Fagaschinski
  Kai Fagaschinski is a Berlin based free improvisational clarinet player and composer. He is self-taught, and his music has been described as "rooted in abstraction, but with an increasingly insidious melodious element."-Discography:*I’m So Awake/Sleepless I Feel - as a member of The Magic I.D...
  
  , Charhizma, 2005)
• Installations (catalogue book and Audio CD) (Kehrer, 2005)
• Hinaus:: In den, Wald. (Klanggalerie, 2004)
• relisten (Intransitive, 2001)
• Defragmentation/blue (Plate Lunch, 2000)
• bestimmung New York (Durian, 1999)

Selected Compilations and Catalogue CDs

• Catalogue Book / DVD „singuhr 1996-2006“, Kehrer, Germany, 2010
• CD "Sudamerica Electronica 3", Sudamerica Electronica, Argentine, 2010
• DVD 'stadtklaenge | klangstaetten', Allgemeiner Konsumverein Braunschweig, Germany, 2009
• CD 'Sound Art: Beyond Music, Between Media.', (Rizzoli, USA 2007)
• CD 'henri chopin remixed' (Extraplatte, Austria 2006)
• CD 'triMIX' (Innova Recordings, USA 2006)
• CD '90 Sekunden Wirklichkeit' (DEGEM / Cybele, Germany 2005)
• Catalogue & CDR 'Night Pulses' (O.K Center for Contemporary Art, Austria 2004)
• DVD 'Text & Language' (Aspect, Magazine of New Media Art, USA 2004)
• CD 'Rock’s Role (After Ryoanji)' (Art in General, USA 2004)
• CD 'Intransitive Twenty-Three' (Intransitive Recordings, USA 2004)
• CD 'Danza De La Muerte' (Klanggalerie, Austria 2003)
• CD 'Typewriting Aloud. Typos Allowed' (SOUND OFF-FestivalSlovakia 2002)
• CD 'lowercase sound 2002' (Bremsstrahlung, USA 2002)
• CD 'because tomorrow comes #4' (because tomorrow comes, Germany 2001)
• CD 'klanggesetz' (Initiative Minderheiten, Austria 2000)
• Catalogue & CDR 'Dissociated Voices' (Werkstadt Graz, Austria 2000)
• CD 'Beams and Waves' (Sound Off Festival, Slovakia 2000)

Awards

• 2010 Outstanding Artist Award for Music, City of Vienna
• 2010 Acquisition Award of the State Art Collection of Austria
• 2009 Research Fellowship, University Mozarteum, Salzburg
• 2008 Grant from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture
• 2006 Travel Grant 2006-07, Austrian Foreign Ministry, Dep. of Culture
• 2004 Austrian State Scholarship for Composition
• 2003 Theatre Award “Intercultural Accents 2003”, Arbeiterkammer Wien, Vienna
• 2003 DAAD Artists in Berlin Program, Berlin
• 2002 Artist-in-Residence Hotel Pupik, Austria
• 2002 Annual Grant of SKE-Fonds, Vienna
• 2001 Karl-Hofer-Prize, University of the Arts, Berlin
• 2001 The ar+d award (recognition), The Architectural Review, London (together with Yumi Kori)
• 2000 Grant of the Art Section of the Austrian Federal Chancellery
• 2000 Artist-in-Residence Werkstadt Graz, Graz
• 2000 Composition Award of Initiative Minderheiten, Vienna
• 1999 Max-Brand-Prize, Austria (recognition)
• 1999 Research Fellowship, University of Vienna

Sources

• Interview with Bernhard Gal - Interview with Bernhard Gal, Music Information Center Austria, 2011
• Festival Sonambiente - Bernhard Gál biography, 2006
• MICA - composer's entry at the Music Information Center Austria.
• Basis Wien, Austria - information about Bernhard Gal's intermedia art projects and sound installations at Basis Wien, Austria.
• Anderson, Christine. 2004. "Berlin für ein Jahr: Gastkomponisten des DAAD—Soo-Jung Shin, Jean-Luc Hervé, Bernhard Gál", edited by Carolin Naujocks. Positionen: Beiträge zur Neuen Musik, no. 61 (November): 42–45.
• Fischer, Tobias. 2007. "Interview with Bernhard Gal". www.tokafi.com, Germany, July 2007.
• Grundmann, Heidi. 2000. "Dissociated Voices (Werkeinführung)", in: Catalogue „Dissociated Voices“, Werkstadt Graz, Austria 2000.
• Lendl, Klemens. 2004. "Auf Horchposten", hi!tech Magazin, Austria, April 2004.
• Metzger, Christoph. 2006. "Klangbojen", in: „Sonoric Perspectives. Ostseebiennale der Klangkunst“, Saarbrücken 2006.
• Montgomery, Will. 2004. "Lost in translation". The Wire, UK, March 2004.
• Schöny, Roland. 2004. "Night Pulses (Werkeinführung)", in: Catalogue „Night Pulses“, O.K Centrum für Gegenwartskunst, Linz 2004.
• Weckwerth, Georg. "Soundkunst Österreich", in: „spike art quarterly“, Vienna 2006.

External links

• www.bernhardgal.com - Official website of Bernhard Gál. Calendar of events, biography, sound excerpts and relevant links:
  • Complete list of works
  • Information on Gal's upcoming and past exhibitions
  • CDs
• Sound Field 04 Chicago New and Experimental Music Festival (October 1–31, 2004).
• www.klanggalerie.com - Klanggalerie
• www.charhizma.com - Charhizma
• www.gromoga.com - Gromoga
• www.sp-ce.net - sp ce, Austrian art organisation
• mica-Interview - Interview with Bernhard Gal, published by the music information center Austria (mica), April 2011 (in German)
• Tokafi-Interview - Interview with Bernhard Gal
• Sands-Zine - Feature article - Feature article about Bernhard Gal (in Italian)