Symphony for 20 Rooms is Scenatet’s playful interpretation of the American Korean multidisciplinary artist and composer Nam June Paik’s legendary fluxus-piece of the same name. Although it was composed in 1961, Symphony for 20 Rooms was never performed in Paik’s lifetime. By the time of his death in 2006, the work had yet to transcend its existence as a text score – a series of poetic instructions describing what would take place in each room. The extremely difficult work of transforming the symphony from text to a fully realized audiovisual experience was carried out by Scenatet in collaboration with Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, who provided the physical location for the performance.

How does one transgress the boundaries between musical performance and musealized artwork? Between composer, performer, and audience? Symphony for 20 Rooms breaks away from traditional musical and artistic notions to create an experience that activates the complete sensory apparatus. The audience is invited to wander freely between small and big intimate worlds of sounds and sensory expressions. Every room has its own peculiar installation and participatory gesture, and it’s up to the audience to decide the chronology and composition of the work. Thus, the beginning and end of the symphony is an open question.

“It is an exquisite pleasure to parade around in ‘Symphony for 20 Rooms’. […] According to the literature, ‘Symphony for 20 Rooms’ has never been performed before, and the creation of a homogenous, truly successful exhibition that builds a bridge between artist and audience is therefore something of an achievement by the two directors. Today, the work is about creativity and co-creation”.

Musical director: Lore Lixenberg
Stage designer: Anna Berit Asp Christensen
Composer: Nam June Paik
Sound designer & Production manager: Janus Jensen
Sound and lighting technician: Mikkel Larsen
Dramaturg & Project Coordinator: Christine Walther Sørensen
Exhibition assistant: Maj Liv Holen
Communication and marketing: Melt

The Danish Arts Foundation and The Bikuben Foundation