ANTECHAMBER · BERLIN
Nathalie Pozzi
The Antechamber sound installation by Jessica Ekomane occupies the attic of KW Institute, a space with large skylights and small windows. It is a quiet and secluded environment with diffuse indirect light and views of the sky.
A group of modular systems has been designed to allow users to sit, recline, rest, lounge, lean, or lie in ways that are flexible and accessible to people of any age, without imposing a single, formally determined arrangement.
“Concentrating on the sense of listening, particularly in contrast to primarily visual languages, has allowed me to investigate alternative forms of perception.”
Jessica Ekomane
Installation view of the exhibition Jessica Ekomane – Antechamber at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2025, courtesy the artist; Photos © Frank Sperling
Spatial consulting and custom seating design for Antechamber, an installation of sound artist Jessica Ekomane.
Artist
Jessica Ekomane
Year
15 February – 4 May 2025
Location
KW Institute for Contemporary Art • Berlin
Curator
Emma Enderby
Assistant Curator
Nikolas Brummer
Supported by
Institut Français
Trampoline
Photo credits
Installation views of the exhibition Jessica Ekomane – Antechamber at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2025, courtesy the artist; Photos © Frank Sperling
“The sound piece central to Antechamber, a live process computed through a programming software, recurs over the course of the day.
Ekomane employs rhythm as a tool for interpreting time, translating these rhythms—from the solar cycle to computation and musical notation—into sound.”
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Installation views of the exhibition Jessica Ekomane – Antechamber at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2025, courtesy the artist; Photos © Frank Sperling
KW: You seem to focus deeply on the physical qualities of sound—its shape and how our perception of it is influenced by space. In what way do you see these aspects as interrelated, and what sparked your interest in exploring this topic?
JE: Since the time when sound emerged as a “new material” in music and the arts, a material that could be manipulated by machines, there has been a tendency to focus solely on the physical properties of the medium. I’m interested in exploring these properties while also gaining an understanding of the context around and within a sonic event. We are not merely individuals with a sensory apparatus, we exist equally within a collective context that lends an additional layer of meaning to what we experience.
KW Curatorial Interview
Installation views of the exhibition Jessica Ekomane – Antechamber at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2025, courtesy the artist; Photos © Frank Sperling
Installation views of the exhibition Jessica Ekomane – Antechamber at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2025, courtesy the artist; Photos © Frank Sperling
KW: […] Following the invitation to create a sound work for KW’s attic, how did you approach space? What challenges did you face, and where did this process take you?
JE: […] The attic is very luminous, and what struck me first was the behavior and softness of the light. I thought of adapting to this and followed the light’s course throughout the day. The rhythm of sunlight is also one of the rhythms of the human body, the circadian rhythm. So, I let this characteristic guide the direction of the work and started to think about ways of using this behavior as material for the work.
Installation views of the exhibition Jessica Ekomane – Antechamber at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2025, courtesy the artist; Photos © Frank Sperling
By the small windows overlooking the city and the inner courtyard, a low, cushioned seat is nestled into the architecture—quietly inviting pause. From here, the outside world appears distant, framed in soft light and muted sound.