From 17–20 September 2026, Seanaps Festival in Leipzig celebrates its anniversary edition under the title TEN.

This edition looks through the lens of Powers of Ten (1977), the visionary short film by Ray and Charles Eames—a landmark of visual experimentation that mapped the universe through the rhythm of the number ten to reveal the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Seanaps Festival transfers this principle to the exploration of sound. Local and international artists investigate sound as a scalable medium, ranging from the microcosm of the human body to the macrocosm of technology, environment, and community. Through concerts, performances, interventions, installations, workshops, a festival radio station, and an exhibition, temporary spaces for collective listening experiences emerge. The anniversary edition brings together the impulses of an international network that has grown over the past decade and charts current pioneering positions in experimental music, art, and culture.

The festival opens at Kunstraum Ortloff with Operation Theater, an installation by AMOS PELED. Drawing on medical technologies and artificial organs, Peled develops a poetic and uncanny choreography of sound, movement, and bodily imagery. Organs detach from their biological function and become autonomous actors within an audiovisual composition. The opening is complemented by a live performance from SHANNON SOUNDQUIST, whose work intertwines language, electronic sound, and radiophonic forms of storytelling.

The concert programme at Westflügel spans a spectrum from radical sonic reduction to ritualistic and highly energetic performances. Percussionist BEN BENNETT opens Friday with his distinctive exploration of everyday materials. Friction, resonance, and minimal gestures give rise to fragile sonic architectures that oscillate between improvisation and focused sound research. This is followed by FEU FOU, presenting hypnotic compositions built from self-made instruments, fractured drum machines, and ghostly vocal fragments. Situated somewhere between experimental folk traditions, punk energy, and floating dreamcore, the group unfolds a singular sonic world filled with intimacy and disorientation. (DUMAMA text to be added)

On Saturday, three markedly different artistic positions converge with GGG, SANS ÂGE, and SHEVEK IYAPO. Trumpeter Germán Gabriel García, performing as GGG, combines free improvisation with electronic setups and installation-based approaches. The duo SANS ÂGE creates dense, feverish sonic textures from trumpet, violin, and self-built instruments, where breath, body, and material act as equal agents. SHEVEK IYAPO merge samples, beats, and soundscapes with poetry and visual elements into an uncompromising artistic practice that reflects social realities and opens political spaces for listening.

Sunday places a stronger emphasis on ritualistic and performative approaches. HAEDONG LEE & YIDAN KIM create contemporary ceremonies through sound, performance, and scent compositions, drawing on East Asian traditions while translating them into present-day contexts. They are followed by TAKAKO MINEKAWA, who presents her unique combination of voice, synthesizer, and delicate object instruments. Glass cylinders, miniature recorders, and electronic sounds form weightless sonic landscapes situated between pop, improvisation, and experimental music. The concert programme concludes with the duo ROL, who craft intimate and constantly evolving ambient compositions from voices, viola, synthesizers, and sound design, placing vulnerability and transformation at their centre.

Before and between the concerts, visitors can enjoy drinks and DJ sets at the Westflügel bar.

In the festival’s late-night programme at Spxlxnkx, SAX TAPE and ACID PLACID bring together playful intersections of club culture, noise, spoken word, and experimental dance music. Tape loops, saxophone, electronic textures, and obsessive vocal fragments merge into nocturnal sonic journeys. More acts to be announced.

Beyond the concert stages, Seanaps expands the festival space in multiple directions. On the lawn of Luru Kino, the interactive installation Baden by STUDIO ONDERSTROOM invites audiences to experience sound while lying down and engaging their entire bodies. Whispering flutes, fragile voices, and subtle resonances create an environment of deceleration and attentive listening. Over four days, the Radio Labor hosts live broadcasts, interviews, radio plays, discussions, and concerts that connect international perspectives with Leipzig’s local scene and the wider cultural landscape of Saxony. An open call for Radiolab participants will be announced soon.

The daytime programme is free of charge for all visitors. Advance tickets for the concerts at Westflügel can be purchased online here.