On a Mood Swing / Berlin

Installation at Apartment Project - Berlin, 2012

Installation at Apartment Project - Berlin, 2012

On a Mood Swing
On a Mood Swing

On a Mood Swing is a work that is influenced by electronic dance music echoing in the city of Berlin. The installation is a vague audio-textual story on a night in Berlin that is written with the titles of electronic music tracks produced by Berlin based artists. The work is comprised of three parts, a book, a text and a audio piece.  

The book contains, 1488 track names by 88 electronic music producers who are currently based in Berlin and a list of those artist’s names with a designated sign. Each page of the book is cut into 12 stripes and on each stripe, a track name and a sign indicating the name of the producer is written. It’s a book of unlimited short text generator created from within electronic music.   

The text is made up of 276 track names, also written in the book and it is spread in a spiral form around the book that is laying open on the surface hung from the ceiling. This poetic text comments on a particular culture bubbling in Berlin that was once underground, and that is evolved with the generous nourishment of infinitely continuous music. This vague imagery of a night out in Berlin involves moods, atmosphere and a sense of the city vibe. 

The audio piece, which spreads out between the genres of Techno and House music has a DJ set structure. Only, it is produced according to the text, not to the musical harmony of tracks with one another. This 2 hour long audio track is a mix of small bits of 276 tracks that made up the text, and arranged in the same order with their titles forming the text. As part of the installation the audio piece plays in the loop, simultaneously from four headphones. 

On a Mood Swing - The Text

mixed by Goktug Citci For more info: http://ilginseymen.com

 On  Mood Swing - Accompanying Materials

- A Map of Connections: Map showing the relationship of music production and remixing projects amongst Berlin based electronic music producers. 

- A Map of Connections: Map showing the relationship of music production and remixing projects amongst Berlin based electronic music producers. 

- A List of Producers: The list showing distinct signs, which are dedicated to each producer is placed both at the beginning and at the end of the book. These signs, written next to each track name in the book indicates its producer. 

- A List of Producers: The list showing distinct signs, which are dedicated to each producer is placed both at the beginning and at the end of the book. These signs, written next to each track name in the book indicates its producer. 

What was I thinking?

I was listening Philip Bader’s Wishful Thinking album, while I was waiting in the line at Berghain for Max Richter concert. The titles of tracks were floating around in my mind when they formed a poetic sentence. “When the drunken clown comes around wishful thinking shine on us.” I started thinking: How do electronic music tracks get their names? Mostly, there are no lyrics, they are abstract in a way, but not called “untitled”. How do words correspond to rhythmic sounds? Are the titles derived from the mood of the producer, the mood of the track or the mood of its context? Is it possible to get an idea about the context by blending these titles together? In his book Berlin Sampler - From Cabaret to Techno, Theo Lessor notes that “Berlin became the nervous centre of the entire electronic music industry.” I tried to catch the Zeitgeist of the city by deciphering and reconfiguring a specific kind of cultural production.


On a Mood Swing - at Contemporary Art Fair Istanbul, 2012

On a Mood Swing is produced during Apartment Project Berlin Residency Program, initially exhibited in Underconstruction - Berlin exhibition, and reproduced for the Contemporary Art Fair Istanbul 2012. 


 Collage with printed media collected during the project, 2012

About Underconstruction - Berlin:

Apartment Project Berlin - Artist Residency October-November 2012 

"Underconstruction - Berlin"  focuses on integration, cultural diversity, transition and border politics; issues that begin with labour immigration from other countries into Berlin.  During the workshop throughout September artist talks, presentations, video/film screenings and performances that are in dialogue with the focus points of participating artists took place. Collaboration and idea exchange between artists from Berlin and İstanbul were mediated through these events.
New collaborative projects emerged with the contribution of the Berlin based participants to the process.

Participants: .-_-., <-x->, Özgür Erkök, everybody is an, Ingo Frischeisen, Lee Garcia, Çiğdem Hasanoğlu, Ha ZA Vu Zu (Güçlü Öztekin, Güneş Terkol, Mert Öztekin, Özgür Erkök),  İbrahim, Gözde İlkin, Mehmet Can Koçak, Göksu Kunak,  Suat Öğüt, Yasemin Nur,  Bert Perl, Ilgın Seymen, Steffi Weismann,  Zişan.