BrückenMusik

BrückenMusik is the annual presentation of sound art, installations and concerts in a highly unusual venue: the hollow interior of the bridge Deutzer Brücke along with the adjoining garage. Launched in 1995 by Peter Behrendsen, the regular BrückenMusik presentation is now one of Germany’s oldest events of its kind. At present, the event is curated jointly by Jens Brand and hans w. koch.

Flowing soundscape

The vast tunnel-like space otherwise closed to the public is divided into three chambers. The two outer chambers are each about 130 metres long, the elongated middle chamber measures some 180 metres. All three chambers are 10 metres wide, with their height varying between 2 and 5 metres. Integral to the acoustics inside the space is the roar of the traffic on the bridge overhead in combination with the noise from passing boats on the Rhine below. The resultant soundscape is coloured by the extremely long echo that changes according to one’s location inside the bridge. The BrückenMusik curatorial concept requires artists to incorporate these acoustic and visual aspects in their presentations.

Funding

BrückenMusik is supported by bodies including kgnm – Kölner Gesellschaft für Neue Musik e.V.; Kulturamt der Stadt Köln; SK Stiftung Kultur; Amt für Brücken- und Stadtbahnbau.