Bernhard Leitner

Since the late 1960s Bernhard Leitner has built and composed sound-space-objects, sound-sculptures as well as sound-architectures dealing with space as a phenomenon and with new modes of reading and perceiving  space. Though he has been influenced by modern music, moving light-spaces and dance, Leitner uses sound as a new scuptural- architectural  material to compose and to shape form.

His lecture will focus on large architectural scale installations with  new sensorial characteristics as well as body related acoustic spaces enabling a comprehensive insight into his transdisciplinary artistic work.

Bernhard Leitner, born 1938 (Austria) studied Architecture at the Technical University in Vienna. Lived from 1968 until 1983 in New York City. Worked first with the Department of City Planning, than as Associate Professor at NYU. Moved 1983 to Berlin. 1987-2005 Professor for Media Art at the University of Applied Arts in  Vienna.

Bernhard Leitner’s work goes back to a phase of artistic research he did during his early New York period, i.e. to his physical-acoustic analyses (from 1969 to 1975) on experiences of spaces that are formed, designed and composed by means of sounds. Besides the haptic sound qualities such as being light, massive, and possessing volume, the three-dimensional movements of sounds shape new spaces of time. His sound-spaces create new ways of aesthetic experience and perception.

The scale of his work reaches from large permanent urban installations (Le Cylindre Sonore,Paris; Sound Field Vienna) to body-related objects (Sound Chair; Vertical Space for one Person; Arches/Firmament) and  Headscapes, conceived and composed for the interior of the head.