Clemens von Wedemeyer is presenting an almost purely acoustic show for his solo exhibition at the Kunstverein Braunschweig. It is dedicated to the history of the Deutsches Spracharchiv (German Language Archive), the work of its founder, the linguist and neurologist Eberhard Zwirner, and the ideas behind phonometry, which he decisively influenced. The archive once temporarily resided in the Villa Salve Hospes— the present home of the Kunstverein.

The exhibition brings together historical, scientific and fictional narratives on their same premises. Von Wedemeyer has developed an audio parcours through the building that explores the voice as an acoustic phenomenon as well as the constitutive characteristics of the human speaking apparatus. Interactive acoustic pieces make the permeation of architecture and history tangible and simultaneously negotiate the future of language as a means of communications and as an identificational factor. Historical audio documents and installations featuring computer-based sound syntheses developed especially for the exhibition will be presented alongside each other, sketching out a non-linear history in the blend of fact and fiction. The sound—generated by speech and noises—constructs a filmic space and forgoes traditional images.

“Every Word You Say” is an artistic collaboration with Moritz Fehr and Lukas Hoffmann. Curated by Hilke Wagner.