Artist Talk by Manolis Manousakis

Manolis Manousakis traveled to Lebanon to conduct a two-month research at Beirut Art Residency (BAR) as part of the Οnassis AiR Exchange Residencies Program 2019/20.

Behind the visual reality of a city before you, another dimension lies concealed rich in sounds that transforms a city into an auditory experience. Beirut, along with Αthens, has a special intensity. Both cities have been a living, meaningful space since antiquity: cosmopolitanism and localism, multiculturalism, the development and gentrification of the area, pockets of resistance, tradition and modernity, a working-class neighbourhood, immigrants, artists, night venues and clubs, alternative cultural spaces, tourists, and monuments of both the ancient and modern times. On top of that, these two cities share now the same world-wide refugee issue. On one hand Greece serves as an entry point to the EU, on the other hand Lebanon served traditionally as a destination for refugees since the 1920s.

Manolis Manousakis is a composer and sound designer with a passion for recording soundscapes. He gained his footing in live theatre while at Columbia College in Chicago, where he studied composition and film. He graduated from the Ionian University with a Master’s degree in Electroacoustic Composition and gained his Ph.D. in Electronic Music New Media at De Montfort University (DMU). He has composed works for small ensembles, solos, electroacoustic installations, video art and multimedia shows. He has also composed the original music and made the sound for theatre shows, documentaries, TV series, feature films, installations and dance theatre shows. He is a member of the Medea Electronique collective and the Koumaria Residency.