Mapping Sounds in Exile

Rap, electronic music compositions, DJing, sound art, multimedia art practices, and experimental sounds – the Goethe-Institut in Exile and the Berlin School of Sound present the three-day festival Mapping Sounds in Exile at Kunsthaus ACUD. On October 17, 18, and 27, musicians from Belarus, Iran, Sudan, and other countries invite you to concerts, performances, and listening sessions.

Participating artists include Rami Abi Rafi, Sarah Farina, Falyakon, Zeyo Mann, Sarvenaz Mostofey, Ludmila Pogodina, Sasha Smirnova, and Hanik Soleimani.

Though these musicians, often affected by the loss of their homeland, come from different parts of the world, they are united by themes of resistance, migration, (non-)arrival, and memory. Music serves as a source and point of contact in moments of disorientation. While they may have left their contexts of origin, their musical traditions endure in the sound reservoir of their own work. Now mostly living in Berlin, these musicians supplement their sonic repertoire with the experience of new contexts. Mapping Sounds in Exile therefore not only draws a map of political crisis locations, but above all an atlas of diverse musical traditions that assert and expand themselves beyond borders. The festival aims to showcase the varied styles and influences of pop musicians who have experienced ruptures and new beginnings. The aim is to strengthen their visibility and promote transnational networking.


Berlin School of Sound - Sound Art Education and Community Center for Music offers practice-led workshops and courses in sound art, composition, electronic music, audio production and other related topics. Participants are artists, musicians, researchers and students who are provided with theoretical and practical underpinnings for ongoing artistic work. The education program goes beyond categorical (for example “serious” vs “commercial”) musical aesthetics and engages in listening as an art and a social practice.

In countries where the Goethe-Institut and other international cultural institutions have been forced to close due to war or censorship, many artists and intellectuals have lost crucial spaces for dissent, dialogue, and intercultural exchange. Based at ACUD Macht Neu in Berlin, The Goethe-Institut in Exile serves as a meeting place, safe space, and platform for cultural professionals who are no longer able to work in their home countries.

Mapping Sounds in Exile is a collaboration of Berlin School of Sound and Goethe-Institut in Exile. Funded by Musicboard Berlin GmbH.