Unsound Festival

For several years now, we’ve built the Unsound program loosely around a theme. This year it’s Dislocation - and has many different meanings.
One concerns the long and provocative tension between “centre” and “periphery” often fueling cultural development. At a time when the world feel increasingly unstable we’re more consciously exploring fertile peripheries in the context of geography, politics, identity, online interaction and more generally the contemporary social environment.
Cross-border collaborations proliferate the 2016 program. Some connect to Unsound: Dislocation events in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Dushanbe in Tajikistan and Vladivostok in Russia, where the projects have been developed and premiered. Other collaborations already existed, but fitted perfectly to our program.
Dislocation has also taken on meanings we hadn’t anticipated. The idea of Brexit seemed impossible just several months ago. We’ve responded, with many events devoted to UK artists, including commissioned projects and premieres, a statement on the strong links between Poland and the UK artists and audiences via the festival.
Then there are other interpretations. Dislocation in space and time. Dislocation from the body. Dislocated meeting points between apparently disparate worlds such as experimental dance pop and Polish traditional dance, or the orchestral world and the undergound fringes of industrial music.
All these subjects and more will also be explored in an extensive day program more vital than ever, with talks, films and installations. Stay tuned for that announcement, coming soon. (As well as a few more artist names.)
And remember, as you sift through the program: you don’t come to Unsound only to underline what you know, but discover.