Ulf Langheinrich


Ulf Langheinrich is a visual artist and composer.

His work is mainly concerned with non-narrative environments and performances focusing on a specific approach to time, space and body. Since 2016 he is the Artistic Director of the International Festival for computer based art CynetArt in Dresden, Germany.

1980–1991

After studying industrial design he conducted audio-experiments using pipe organs, harmoniums and multiple tape machine environments as well as engaging mainly in drawing. He left East Germany in 1984 for West Germany, where he started to develop the basics of his language in painting, photography and electronic music.
In 1988 he moved to Vienna pursuing his activities in his studio in the WUK which resulted to an exhibition and the publication of a catalogue of his artworks.

1991–2003: Granular-Synthesis

In 1991 in Vienna, he co-founded with Austrian artist Kurt Hentschläger the duo .
Their name refers to the technique of "granular synthesis", they apply to both sound and image, creating a new audiovisual language


In more than a decade they created monumental multimedia installations and performances such as AREAL, FELD, MODELL 5 , NOISEGATE or the latest POL. Figurative or abstract, immersive and monumental, sometimes interactive, their works were conceived in a theatrical approach and marked a new step in the aesthetic of perception.


They toured worldwide in the most prestigious spaces and festivals.


Several compilations of GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS works have been released on DVDs and they received the first prize of the International Biennial in Nagoya in 1995 as well as stipendiums in Austria and the USA.

Since 2003: Solo projects

Ulf Langheinrich has been producing a new series of large scale solo projects, among others PERM -an interactive abstract film created for the EVE Interactive Cinema system designed by Pr Jeffrey Shaw, HEMISPHERE, designed for a hemispheric screen or LAND, a stereoscopic installation commissioned by .
His works were shown at various festivals and museums in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.


Featured artist of the Ars Electronica Festival in 2005, he received a stipendium from Siemens for the creation of his installation WAVEFORM B.


The same year, he directed his first full-length film DRIFT in full HD, commissioned by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image
His longstanding interest in combining classical music with electronic music and HD images, led him to compose the score of SINKEN in 1998 -with GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS- for symphonic orchestra and electronic in Dangerous Visions, commissioned and performed by Orchestre National de Lille and New Music French group Art Zoyd. Since this first live experiment, other similar creations followed including MINUS, and later under his own name, SYNTONY for the Festival d'Art Lyrique of Aix-en-Provence, DRIFT LIVE again for Wien Modern and KU for TONLAGEN Festival for contemporary music in Dresden in 2010.
Many of his works were also created in collaboration with various artists, mostly as models, using a part of their body, as American singer/performer Diamanda Galas was for GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS' work POL, performer Michael Ashcroft for the duo's pieces WE WANT GOD NOW, AREAL and FORM.


Japanese dancer Akemi Takeya -her face- was also the model of GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS masterpiece MODELL 5 and short piece SWEETHEARTS. Ulf Langheinrich collaborated again with her later, when she asked him to design the audiovisual environment on her two body performances CE_1 and Weathering in 2005–2006.


Other collaborations include the series of performances and installations MOVEMENT A, MOVEMENT B, MOVEMENT X and MOVEMENT Y with Japanese dancer Toshiko Oiwa, MOVEMENT C and MOVEMENT Z with Chinese dancer Luo Yuebing and VORTEX, a dance performance for four dancers with stereoscopic, in collaboration with Italian choreographer Maria Chiara de' Nobili.


He also worked on the music and sound design of the performance "N" for French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj in 2004 and co-directed the short film SPINTEX with British artist Gina Czarnecki in Ghana in 2008.


In 2015 he created the images and collaborated to the lighting design of the opera SOLARIS by Dai Fujikura and Saburo Teshigawara, after Stanislas Lem's novel, premiered at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and toured at Lille Opera and Lausanne Opera.
As composer, he released the CD DEGREES OF AMNESIA.


In 2013 was published the DVD Visionaries 21: The Aesthetic Of Sensory, featuring his solo works from 2002–2010.
Over the last years, besides his artistic activities, Ulf Langheinrich has been appointed to teach in the most prestigious high schools in Europe, as well as in Australia and China.
From 2016 to 2020 he was Artistic Director of the festival CynetArt, based in Dresden.

Works

Installations and videos

B PERM, special creation for Jeffrey Shaw's EVE dome SOIL WAVEFORM B LIGHT WAVEFORM A DRIFT OSC DUSK DE NATURA SONORIS TEMA DE NATURA SONORIS Red DE NATURA SONORIS Woman Walking SPINTEX with Gina CzarneckiLAND XXX ALLUVIUM, special creation for Jeffrey Shaw's immersive 3D 360° AVIEMOVEMENT X, 3D MOVEMENT Y IMZK MUSIC I, 3D NO LAND II, 3D NO LAND III, 3D NO LAND I, 3D NO LAND IV MUSIC III LAG, 3D MUSIC II, 3D, for the AVIE by Jeffrey ShawMOVEMENT Z, 3D, for the AVIE by Jeffrey Shaw, with Luo YuebingHEMISPHERE, creation for suspended hemispheric dome or planetarium I MISS YOU GHOST, special creation for the 3D WATER MATRIX LOST, creation for suspended hemispheric dome or planetarium OSC-L, outdoor site-specific project in London NIL QSL NOLANDX, 3D WAVEFORM X, 3D OSC-K, outdoor site-specific project in Karslruhe WAVEFORM Z OSC-B, outdoor site-specific project in Barcelona WAVEFORM L, commissioned by Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V., for Dimensions — Digital Art since 1859 exhibition in Leipzig MOVEMENT L, commissioned by Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V., for Dimensions — Digital Art since 1859 exhibition in Leipzig NOLAND-D
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:SWEET HEART NOISEGATE FORM FELD RESET
  • ''LUX''

Dance performances & cinematic live shows

WEATHERING with Akemi Takeya"N" with the Ballet Preljocaj and Kurt HentschlägerCE_I with Akemi TakeyaMOVEMENT A with Toshiko OiwaMOVEMENT B DRIFT_LINE_BLUE MOVEMENT C with Luo YuebingFULL ZERO with Luo YuebingVORTEX with Maria Chiara de'Nobili
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:MODELL5 AREAL POL SINKEN FORMEN <360>
  • ''MINUS''

Visual concerts

SYNTONY KU, for pipe organ SINKEN II for 44 musicians RE-TIME, for string orchestra

Awards

With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:

Books

Enfoldment and Infinity: An Islamic Genealogy of New Media Art, Laura U. Marks. The MIT Press., Art contemporain nouveaux médias, Dominique Moulon. Nouvelles Éditions Scala, coll. "sentiers d'art"., Multimedia Performance, Rosemary Klich and Edward Scheer. Palgrave Macmillan,
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:The Diana "Lichtwerk", Georg Schöllhammer, Redesign Diana, ViennaInterview with Hentschläger/Langheinrich, Ursula Hentschläger. Medien. Kunst. Passagen, ViennaMotion Control - Ein elektronischer Bildersturm?, Birgit Richard. Norbert Bolz, Riskante Bilder, MunichGRANULAR SYNTHESIS, Mike Stubbs. Gerfried Stocker und Christine Schöpf, INFOWAR, ViennaCinematic Folds: the furling and unfurling of images, Firoza Elavia, Toronto. Pleasure Dome, Art and Electronic Media, Edward A. Shanken, London. Phaidon, See this sound: Versprechungen von Bild und Ton = Promises in sound and vision, Rainer Cosima, Stella Rollig, Dieter Daniels, Manuela Ammer. Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz. Cologne. König,
  • We Are the Real Time Experiment: 20 Years of FACT, Mike Stubbs, Karen Newman, Lewis Biggs. FACT, Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, Hybridkultur, Yvonne Spielmann. Berlin: Suhrkamp, Entangled: Technology and the transformation of performance, Chris Salter. Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press, Form +code in design, art, and architecture, Casey Reas. New York. Princeton Architectural Press,

Catalogues of exhibitions

Incheon International Digital Art Festival 2010. Curator Dooeun Choi, Yukiko Shikata. Cinemas of the Future. Curator Richard Castelli. Lille2004 European Capital of Culture, Lille. Hybrid Living in Paradox. Ars Electronica, Linz From Flash to Pixel, Zendai MoMA, Shanghai. Curator Richard Castelli Vom Funken zum Pixel, Berliner Festspiele - Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin. Curator Richard Castelli. Nicolai Verlag Body Media. Curator Richard Castelli & Gong Yan. Body Media-International Interactive Art Exhibition, Shanghai. eLANDSCAPES - Shanghai eARTS Festival. Curator Richard Castelli Space inventions, Der künstliche Raum. Curator Gottfried Hattinger. Peter Bogner, Künstlerhaus, Vienna / SCHLEBRÜGGE.EDITOR Panorama 12 - Soft Machines. Le Fresnoy, Studio national des arts contemporains, Tourcoing. Madde-Işık, Istanbul. Curator Richard Castelli Matière-Lumière, Béthune Curator Richard Castelli The Return of Noever. Published in conjunction with an exhibition about Peter Noever, former director of the Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, curated and hosted by SCI-Arc at the Ace Museum, Los Angeles DIMENSIONS - Digital Art since 1859. Organised by Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V. Bonn in Leipzig. Curator Richard Castelli, co-curators Dan Xu, Clara Blume.
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:Zeitschnitte 92: Aktuelle Kunst aus Österreich Differenzen, Affinitäten und Brüche, Museumsquartier, Vienna
  • The 4th International Biennale in Nagoya - ARTEC '95, Nagoya Frankensteintechnodrug. Andreas Spiegl. Gerbel, Karl und Weibel, Peter, Mythos Information. Welcome To The Wired World, catalogue Ars Electronica, Vienna-New York
  • DEAF '95, Rotterdam
  • Elektra 96. Elektra manual. Montreal Granular-Synthesis, mädchen.apparate.kunst. medien, apparate, kunst Projektionsräume. Beispiele apparativer Kunst in Österreich, MAK, ViennaSweet Heart. Media Art Biennale WRO97, Wroclaw Granular-Synthesis: NOISEGATE M6, Peter Noever, Vienna. / Face to face to cyberspace. Curator Markus Brüderlin. Fondation Beyeler, Basel. Beyeler, Ernst. Hatje Cantz.Musiques en Scène, l'exposition, Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon ... der körpererfüllte Raum fort und fort. Curator Elisabeth Schweeger. OK Centrum für Gegenwartskunst, Linz. GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS - Austrian Pavilion. Venice Biennial, Curator Elisabeth Schweeger, Vienna. FELD, Granular-Synthesis. Curator Lawrence Rinder and Jungoo Bahk. 2002 Media Art: Special Effects. Lee Joongki, Park ILHo, DaejeonCinemas of the Future. Curator Richard Castelli. Lille2004 European Capital of Culture, Lille. SWEET HEART, Granular-Synthesis. Text by Rudolf Frieling. 40yearsvideoart.de - Part 1, Digital Heritage: Video Art in Germany from 1963 until the Present. / Sculpture Art Space. Curator Richard Castelli & Gong Yan. Body Media-International Interactive Art Exhibition, Shanghai eARTS / eLANDSCAPES, Shanghai. Curator Richard Castelli Sounds & visions : Artists' films and videos from Europe: the last decade. Curator Gioè, Angelo and Maria Rosa Sossai. Cinisello Balsamo, Milano: Silvana EditorialeMadde-Işık, Istanbul. Curator Richard Castelli DIMENSIONS - Digital Art since 1859. Organised by Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V. Bonn in Leipzig. Curator Richard Castelli, co-curators Dan Xu, Clara Blume.

Art Press

Ulf Langheinrich, The Useless And Fascinated Look, Alessio Galbiati. Digimag n°34. Digicult – Digital Art, Design & CultureUlf Langheinrich - Temporalités multiples. Dominique Moulon. MCD #59, Paris
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:Welcome to MediaMOO**** Type. Birgit Flos. DU, Zürich Festival Manca. Denis Fortier. Le Monde, Paris Granular Synthesis, Paolo Cecchetto. Juliet Art Magazine, #76, Trieste Global Ear. Erik Davis. Wire, San Francisco Binäre Tänze, Arnd Wesemann. Ballett international. tanz aktuell, Seelze Ganzkörpermassage, Thomas Wolkinger. Die Presse, Vienna Pixel gegen Bio-Einheiten, Christian Schachinger. Der Standard, Vienna Körper-Experimente im psychotischen Triebwerk: Granular=Synthesis im Steirischen Herbst. Salzburger Nachrichten Robin Rimbaud crosses the NoiseGate with Granular Synthesis, Robin Rimbaud. The Wire #174, London POL, fascisme musical ou génie précurseur ?, Annick Rivoire. Libération, Paris GRANULAR SYNTHESIS, Interview with Kurt Hentschläger, Claudia Hart. ARTBYTE Vol. 1, no. 5 Maximales Lärmen, Johanna Hofleitner. Die Presse, Vienna Maschinenmenschen im dunklen, Raum, Brigitte. Borchhardt-Birbaumer. Wiener Zeitung, Vienne Höllentore und Ausbruch statt Input, Sabine Buchwald. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich Between Spell and Irritation: NOISEGATE, GRANULAR SYNTHESIS, Bernard Lamarche. Le Devoir, Montreal Machine Dreams, Christopher Phillips. Art in America Attachez vos tuques !!!, François Toussignant. Le Devoir, Montreal Sensory assault on audience in Bradford, Michael Bracewell. The Independent, London FIELD OF BEAMS: GRANULAR SYNTHESIS explores the landscape of digital culture, Graham Shearing. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Flash-Portions, Birgit Richard. Kunstforum Vol. 151 Ihr macht sehr elitäre Kunst, Dieter Buchhart. Documentation of the Venice Biennial, Kunstforum Vol. 156 Grandeur de l'art qui s'accomplit, François Toussignant. Le Devoir GRANULAR SYNTHESIS. Art World China Kill Bill Vol.3, Arnd Wesemann. ballettanz, Berlin: Friedrich Berlin Verlag GRANULAR SYNTHESIS. Art World China

Essays

Hybrid Living in Paradox - Emptiness, Hissing and Control On Ulf Langheinrich's Oeuvre, Marc Ries, Ars Electronica catalogue
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:Modell 3.1: A multi-media live environment by Kurt Hentschläger and Ulf Langheinrich, Thomas Feuerstein. Text of the catalogue TRANSIT 92Pyramedia / Granular-Synthesis Modell 3.02, Thomas Feuerstein. Grundmann, Heidi, Transit #1, Innsbruck Eikon # 10–11, Nina Edge Motion Control - Shared Pain: Man and Machine. Birgit Flos. MOTION CONTROL. MODELL 5 by GRANULAR SYNTHESIS at the Kunstverein, Hanover Granular-Synthesis. Tom Sherman Hearing the Noise: Revolution. Leoudak, Zoe. International Symposium on Electronic Art. Sculpture Magazine, Vol.18 No. 4, Liverpool GRANULAR SYNTHESIS - NOISEGATE, Rob Dyer. National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford. http://www.dso.co.uk/gig39.htm Noisegate, Robert Clark. National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Bradford Long Hard Looks / Het verlangen van het luisteren, Over de esthetiek van verstoring in de installatiekunst van Granular Synthesis. Pieter Verstraete. NY,

Discography

DEGREES OF AMNESIA
  • ''Vol1''

Videography

Is This Art? - Volume 3: Digital Dreams and Old World Photography. DVD featuring an interview Ulf Langheinrich. Artfilms Ltd. AustraliaVisionaries 21: The aesthetic of sensory overload, The work of Ulf Langheinrich - Vol. 3. Contemporary Art Media, Artfilms Ltd., Australia.
With GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS:GRANULAR-SYNTHESIS - IMMERSIVE WORKS
A DVD compilation containing extracts and documentation of Granular Synthesis' work over ten years. ZKM Karlsruhe / Cantz. INDEX 003 / GRANULAR SYNTHESIS - REMIXES FOR SINGLE SCREEN
Remixes for Single Screen RESET, 2001, 25 min, and "MODELL 5", 1994–1996, 30 min, ARGE INDEX 40yearsvideoart.de - Part 1
Digital Heritage: Video Art in Germany from 1963 to the Present. DVD-Rom featuring an excerpt of SWEET HEART. Rudolf Frieling & Wulf Herzogenrath / Hatje Cantz Verlag, GermanyVIDEORAMA : ARTCLIPS FROM AUSTRIA
DVD featuring an excerpt of LUX. Vienna: Kunsthalle / Bern: Benteli

Links

  • http://ulflangheinrich.com/
  • https://soundcloud.com/ulf-langheinrich
  • https://granularsynthesis.info
  • http://www.epidemic.net/en/art/langheinrich/index.html