Temporality and timelessness collide in a sonic composition by the artist Charles Stankievech. Marshalling both subterranean and cosmic noise, the work invites viewers to meditate on deep time, deep space, and deep listening. The Glass Key comprises original electromagnetic recordings of the ionosphere, hydrophone recordings of both Arctic ice and Yucatán cenotes, and echoes within Lanzarote's volcanic calderas. Performed on the occasion of Summer Solstice, a custom star projection in the Planetarium dome will accompany the concert.

Following the concert, a conversation between the Director of the Hamburg Planetarium and President of the Gesellschaft Deutschsprachiger Planetarien Dr. Björn Voß and Stankievech will discuss the history of the planetarium on the 100th anniversary of its invention – the subject of Stankievech’s recent monograph The Desert Turned to Glass (Hatje Cantz, 2024).

Charles Stankievech is an artist and composer whose award-winning work has been presented at institutions such as the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal; Kunst-Werke, Berlin; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; National Gallery of Canada; TBA21, Vienna; as well as several biennials from Venice to Santa Fe. As a composer he mentored under World Soundscape founder R. Murrary Schafer and Alvin Lucier, leading to the premiere of his work Radiance for Philip Glass’ MATA foundation. He was the Director of Visual Studies at the University of Toronto from 2015-2021, where he is now Associate Professor in the Faculty of Architecture.

In English / 105 minutes / free entrance

The exhibition SURVIVAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY at Deichtorhallen Hamburg aims to open perspectives on how something new can emerge from the moment of crisis – other practices, ways of thinking and concepts for our shared coexistence. Planetarium Hamburg is a partner of this exhibition and collaborates with the SCHOOL OF SURVIVAL, the exhibition's future laboratory.

On June 22, Charles Stankievech will lead a workshop at the School of Survival. Click here for more information.