Berlin
A Forbidden Distance: Saint Abdullah, Eomac & Rebecca Salvadori
A Forbidden Distance is part of The Crossing, the first artistic creation of TIMES, commissioned by Berlin Atonal, Semibreve, Sónar, and Unsound.
A Forbidden Distance is a collaborative audio-visual work that explores the profound relationship between self-identity and displacement. This unique performance piece brings together Iranian-Canadian brothers Mohammad and Mehdi (Saint Abdullah), Irish sound designer and musician Ian McDonnell (Eomac), and London-based Italo-Australian video artist and filmmaker Rebecca Salvadori in their first artistic collaboration, embodying the very transcendence of borders their work examines. A Forbidden Distance poses biographical questions on the meaning of an individual’s life when faced with the need to move, forced into the nomadic currents of our times.
The audio-visual project itself is an example of collaboration that transcends borders and nationalities—brothers Mohammed and Mehdi Mehrabani-Yeganeh (Saint Abdullah) are Iranian-Canadian, Ian McDonnel (Eomac) as Irish, and London-based filmmaker Rebecca Salvatori is Italian-Australian—all working together for the first time.
Artist Bios
Eomac (IE) Ian McDonnell aka Eomac is an Irish producer and sound designer living in Wicklow near Dublin. The Eomac sound draws from obscure samples and raw sound design in an ongoing exploration of intense, visceral music for body and soul. Alongside his solo releases as Eomac he's also one half of the duos Lakker, noeverything and Lena Andersson.
Rebecca Salvadori (UK) Rebecca Salvadori is a London-based artist working at the intersection between video art and documentary. She has a long experience in filming environments with a focus on non-hierarchical/chronological layering and sequencing of audio to footage. Over the last 15 years, she has consistently engaged with experimental music, with a great interest in finding ways to connect the moving image with sound practices, live performances and alternative forms of storytelling.
Saint Abdullah (IR/CA) Formed by two brothers, Mohammad and Mehdi Mehrabani-Yeganeh, raised primarily in the West, away from their family in Iran, Saint Abdullah is designed somewhat as an introduction to a different palette of sounds, creating a charged and anxious, but still assertive mixture of minimalist dub and Iranian samples. The two are particularly drawn to the sounds associated with Shia Islam, predominant in Iran but usually a minority in the Muslim world.
Performance Format
The live show features all artists on stage, with Saint Abdullah and Eomac performing the music while Salvadori conducts the visual elements. Rather than following traditional audiovisual performance structures, the work creates a distinctive dialogue between its components. Neither a visual accompaniment to music nor a live score to film, the performance establishes a space where each element maintains its own distinct voice while contributing to a unified narrative.
Visual Elements
The visual narrative weaves together intimate home videos of Mohammad's family with artist interviews, spoken word segments, and documentation of the creative process. Through this tapestry of personal and collective experiences, the work tells a compelling story of displacement and fragmentation while simultaneously highlighting the enduring threads of human connection.
Conceptual Framework
At its core, A Forbidden Distance investigates fundamental questions about individual identity in the face of displacement, examining how personal meaning persists and transforms within the nomadic currents of contemporary life. The project itself serves as a living testament to cross-cultural collaboration, with its creators spanning multiple nationalities and backgrounds.
Technical Requirements
- Large-scale stage setup
- Substantial screen installation
- Optional lighting design component
Performance History
The work has been presented at Berlin Atonal, Semibreve Festival and Unsound Festival so far, establishing itself as a significant contribution to contemporary audiovisual performance art.
Ideal places & curatorial concepts potentially fit well with A Forbidden Distance' include:
- Experimental audiovisual works
- Cross-cultural artistic dialogue
- Contemporary performance art
- Electronic music and visual art intersections
interviews
https://stxdyoz.com/in-conversation-with-a-forbidden-distance-berlin-atonal-openless/
https://borshchmagazine.com/on-choosing-hope-with-saint-abdullah-eomac-and-rebecca-salvadori/
booking contact : michelle@potnnia-theron.de
Demdike Stare presents "Baselines" A/V
Demdike Stare is one of the most influential acts in experimental and electronic music, consistently pushing the boundaries of sound design and live performance. Known for their deep archival explorations and mastery of sonic manipulation, the duo has long been a fixture in the global avant-garde music scene. First premiered for Berlin Atonal 2024, Demdike Stare's Baselines A/V Live is a bold audiovisual experience that revisits their celluloid roots with a fervently punk attitude toward both sound and visuals. This performance takes physical tape as a starting point, amplifying every blemish, every sign of patina, and every overlooked detail, transforming them into a visceral symphony of distortion and decay.
BASELINES by Demdike Stare (Trailer A)
BASELINES by Demdike Stare (Trailer B)
Through deep research and sonic excavation, Baselines re-contextualizes discarded cultural artifacts into a ferric oxide-soaked kaleidoscopic trip. A true masterclass in reimagining the past, the performance immerses the audience in an evolving language of light and shadow, texture and destruction. Baselines stands as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration between mediums, offering an uncompromising sensory journey into the depths of sound and image.
The A/V component of Baselines embraces imperfection, using decayed film textures, analog distortion, and cinematic fragments to craft an immersive, hypnotic environment. Drawing from the raw aesthetics of forgotten media, the visuals echo the duo’s sonic philosophy—celebrating the beauty of decay while forging new meanings from the past.
With a new album set for release in 2025, Demdike Stare is entering an exciting new phase, making this the perfect time to host them for an exclusive performance.
booking contact : michelle@potnnia-theron.de
all photos © helena mejewska
"THIRST" is an ambitious 3D audiovisual performance by French composer and director Franck Vigroux (rasteR) and Belgian media artist Kurt d’Haeseleer. It redefines the boundaries of live digital art, immersing audiences in a striking audiovisual landscape through a unique three-screen 3D projection setup (two screens + LED).
Concept
Drawing from the lexicon of road movies, retro American iconography, and hyper-saturated, image-driven aesthetics, Thirst unfolds as a sensory odyssey. The performance juxtaposes symbols of transgression, adventure, and romanticism with the fragmented realities of our digital and environmental age. Vigroux’s soundscapes—massive, textural, and immersive—merge with d’Haeseleer’s reactive visuals, crafting a dystopian fever dream that is as hypnotic as it is unsettling.
Technical Approach
The show employs an advanced visual system that combines 3D projection mapping with a custom-built three-screen setup. This innovative use of space and depth creates an unparalleled immersive experience, where the audience is enveloped in an audiovisual environment that continually morphs between abstraction and cinematic storytelling.
Artists
Franck Vigroux
Franck Vigroux is a multifaceted artist whose works span experimental electronic music, modern composition, and music theatre. His sound is defined by tectonic tensions, intricate beats, and a singular approach to sonic exploration. Equally prolific as a solo artist and collaborator, Vigroux has worked with visionary musicians such as Elliott Sharp, Mika Vainio, Reinhold Friedl, and Ars Nova. His artistic approach integrates new media and performance art, resulting in transdisciplinary works that push the limits of audiovisual expression. He designs groundbreaking shows and immersive A/V concerts in collaboration with visual artists like Antoine Schmitt and Kurt d’Haeseleer, continuously evolving the relationship between sound, image, and live performance.
Kurt d’Haeseleer
Kurt d’Haeseleer is a Belgian media artist whose work revolves around hyper-saturated, audio-reactive visuals and generative digital art. His practice explores the excesses of contemporary visual culture, creating immersive environments that oscillate between abstraction and narrative. His collaborations span experimental music, theater, and performance, with a distinctive aesthetic that challenges conventional storytelling through technology-driven art.
Performance & Availability: "Thirst" is available for international bookings in 2025 and beyond. The project is suitable for festivals, museums, and venues exploring cutting-edge audiovisual experiences.
For booking inquiries, please contact michelle@potnia-theron.de
Sara Persico & Mika Oki present “Sphaîra”
Sphaîra is an immersive audiovisual performance by sound artist Sara Persico and visual artist Mika Oki, inspired by the architectural and sonic environment of the Tripoli Dome in Lebanon. The work is an exploration of spatial sound, light, and structure, creating an experience that resonates with the physical and psychological dimensions of enclosure and expansion.
At its core, Sphaîra draws from field recordings captured inside the Tripoli Dome—an unfinished experimental theater designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer—interwoven with Persico’s signature vocal processing, electronic manipulation, and bass-driven compositions. Mika Oki’s visual design mirrors the spherical acoustics of the space, crafting an evolving interplay of shadow, light, and movement.
With a focus on transforming perception through sound and visuals, Sphaîra invites audiences into a hypnotic, enveloping environment where architecture, history, and sonic experimentation converge. The project reimagines the spatial qualities of the original dome structure, making use of venues with 360° projection or immersive settings to achieve its full potential.
Artist Bios
Sara Persico (IT) Sara Persico is an Italian sound artist, composer, and performer whose practice spans experimental electronics, free improvisation, and site-specific performance. With a background in vocal experimentation and sound design, her work explores the intersection of voice, noise, and spatial acoustics.
Mika Oki (FR) Mika Oki is a Franco-Japanese visual artist and DJ whose practice moves between video, installation, and light design. She is known for creating immersive audiovisual environments that blur the line between physical and virtual perception. With a deep interest in psychoacoustics and the emotional impact of spatialized sound, her work has been presented at festivals such as Berlin Atonal, MUTEK, and Sonic Acts.
Performance Format
The live performance features Sara Persico performing live electronics and vocals, generating an evolving soundscape that moves between textured noise, sub-heavy rhythms, and vocal abstraction. Mika Oki constructs a parallel visual world, using light projection and real-time visual manipulation to create an enveloping, ever-shifting atmosphere.
Unlike traditional audiovisual performances that pair moving imagery with sound, Sphaîra is designed as a fully immersive experience, where light and sound are integrated into the architecture of the venue itself, heightening spatial perception and transforming the performance space.
Visual Elements
The visual component of Sphaîra is not based on pre-recorded footage but on a dynamic lighting system that reacts to the music, designed to enhance the perception of space within a dome or immersive environment. The shifting light fields mirror the acoustics of the performance, surrounding the audience in an evolving, tactile environment.
At Berlin Atonal, the project was adapted for a non-dome setting, with a suspended circular screen to approximate the immersive effect. However, the performance is ultimately designed for a dome-shaped venue—where light projections can be mapped directly onto the curved structure, amplifying the work’s intended spatial impact.
Conceptual Framework
Sphaîra investigates the relationship between architecture, sound, and memory, drawing from the history of abandoned utopian structures like the Tripoli Dome. The project asks:
How does sound shape our experience of space?
How can light transform our perception of enclosure and openness?
How do historical spaces, left unfinished, carry an imprint of their past and an imagined future?
Through its site-specific approach, Sphaîra is both an homage to forgotten architectures and an exploration of sonic futurism, bridging past and present through sound and light.
Technical Requirements
360° dome projection capabilities (or adaptable immersive light setup)
Surround sound system with multi-channel audio configuration
Modular lighting system adaptable to venue structure
Booking Contact : michelle@potnia-theron.de
Oneiris is an immersive audiovisual performance by Berlin-based electronic musician and cellist Chloe Lula in collaboration with visual artist and lighting designer Tim Novikov. The project, rooted in ambient electronics and live improvised cello, draws inspiration from dream states and the periphery of consciousness. It accompanies Chloe's debut full-length album Oneiris, released on Subtext Recordings in November 2024.
A play on the word "oneiric," Oneiris references the fluid, surreal nature of dreams, nodding to the minimalism and contemporary classical textures of artists like Philip Glass, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Yair Elazar Glotman. Through Novikov’s innovative approach to light, fog, and architectural mapping, the performance envelops audiences in a sensory experience that transcends traditional audiovisual presentations, creating a space of deep contemplation and boundless introspection.
Artist Bios
Chloe Lula (US/DE) Chloe Lula is a Berlin-based electronic musician, cellist, and DJ. With a background in classical music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she eventually transitioned into experimental and electronic music, merging her influences from techno and avant-garde composition. As a DJ and producer, Chloe has performed extensively across Europe, North and South America, and Asia, with appearances at Nuits Sonores, Dekmantel, Unsound, and Wire. Her return to the cello in recent years has seen her explore electroacoustic techniques and experimental sound design, culminating in her album Oneiris and its accompanying live A/V show. She is a resident artist at Tresor and has forthcoming releases on Blueprint and Falling Ethics.
Tim Novikov (UZ/DE) Tim Novikov is a Berlin-based lighting designer, visual artist, and former architect. Originally from Uzbekistan and raised in Siberia, he studied architecture in Samara before moving to Berlin in 2015 to pursue interdisciplinary artistic work. His practice integrates light, analog visuals, and generative digital graphics to create immersive environments. In 2017, he founded Minus Null, a production studio focused on sustainable materials for the music and art industries. He has collaborated with artists such as Bendik Giske and Caterina Barbieri, as well as with the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra on innovative audiovisual concert formats.
Performance Format
Oneiris is a fully immersive audiovisual experience, featuring Chloe Lula on stage with a transparent LED screen behind her, subtly flickering with lightning and celestial imagery. The performance space is transformed with fog, layered lighting, and carefully mapped visuals that evoke dreamlike landscapes—moonlit forests, shifting storm clouds, and surreal architectural forms. Unlike traditional projected visuals, Novikov’s design creates an expansive environment where light and sound dissolve into a multidimensional space.
The music consists of Chloe’s live improvised cello, ambient electronics, and the resonant feedback of the halldorophone, an electroacoustic instrument that generates shifting, organic textures. These elements form an undulating sonic tapestry that mirrors the transient and ethereal nature of dreams. The audience is invited to experience the performance not just as spectators, but as participants within a shifting, enveloping atmosphere.
Visual Elements
The visual narrative of Oneiris unfolds as an abstract exploration of memory and dream states. Tim Novikov’s design employs:
Dense floor fog and lighter, atmospheric mist, creating the sensation of drifting through layers of consciousness.
A transparent LED screen displaying real-time, audio-reactive visuals in a vertical format, appearing both in the space and within the fog.
Laser and lighting sequences simulating lightning flashes, shifting celestial bodies, and ephemeral dreamscapes.
Architectural spatial mapping, using the contours of the performance venue to enhance the immersive experience.
Conceptual Framework
At its core, Oneiris examines the delicate threshold between waking and dreaming, the tangible and the subconscious. Inspired by Chloe’s personal recollections and sensory landscapes, the project merges music, light, and spatial design to create a hypnotic meditation on perception and memory. Each performance is unique, adapting to the characteristics of the venue and its acoustic and visual possibilities.
“Oneiris” A/V is particularly suited for:
Experimental audiovisual performances
Contemporary classical and electroacoustic music settings
Immersive and spatial sound festivals
Cross-disciplinary art exhibitions
booking contact : michelle@potnia-theron.de
FRANKIE (Franziska Aigner) and Battle-ax (Beatrix Curran) are a duo whose collaboration fuses raw string performance with experimental processing, pushing the boundaries of contemporary string music. Rooted in improvisation and sonic deconstruction, their work navigates the tension between distortion and precision, organic textures and digital manipulation. Their performances are marked by an intensity that shifts between melancholic restraint and full-force sonic rupture, balancing a deep musical dialogue with moments of visceral chaos.
Their debut EP, ANGELWHACK, released on SUPERPANG, captures this dynamic interplay—cello and viola entwining in shadowy dissonance, punctuated by bursts of delicate harmony and fractured digital interventions.
FRANKIE (Franziska Aigner)
FRANKIE is a Berlin-based cellist, vocalist, and producer whose work spans music, performance, and philosophy. With roots in improvisation and experimentation, she has collaborated across disciplines, working with artists such as Anne Imhof (Deal, Rage, Angst, Faust), William Forsythe, Austin Lynch, and Thuy-Han Nguyen Chi. Her solo releases, STYX (2022) and HEAVEN/HELL (2023), push the expressive limits of her instrument and voice, crafting dark, urgent, and reflective sonic landscapes. She holds a PhD in philosophy from CRMEP, Kingston University London, and lectures on Modern European philosophy and the philosophy of technology at the New Centre for Research & Practice. Her monograph on Kant and technics was published by Bloomsbury Press in 2024.
Battle-ax (Beatrix Curran)
Battle-ax is the moniker of Sydney-born, Vienna-raised violist Beatrix Curran. A disruptive force in experimental music, her practice is defined by improvisation, distortion, and reverb-drenched textures that stretch the limits of her instrument. Her debut EP Earther/Lysol (2018), featuring DJ Paypal, reinforced the character of her live performances—an intricate balance between unfiltered expression and meticulous composition. She has performed and curated extensively, with recent collaborations alongside The Performance Agency. Her performances thrive on extremes, whether in the grand setting of the Belvedere Palace’s Marble Hall or delivering a noise set from atop a DJ booth with a sprained ankle.
Upcoming Dates
Live performances to be announced in 2025.
Booking Contact: michelle@potnia-theron.de
After a powerful reunion at the Sydney Opera House during Vivid Live 2023, Lust For Youth & Croatian Amor have reignited their creative synergy, culminating in the collaborative album All Worlds (2025, Sacred Bones). Inspired by the Golden Record sent into space as humanity’s message to the unknown, the album explores themes of longing, connection, and emotional landscapes through shimmering production and pulsating rhythms.
Marking a departure from Lust For Youth’s synth-driven post-punk roots, All Worlds embraces a dance-oriented aesthetic, fusing ethereal textures, layered vocals, and techno-infused beats. The result is a deeply immersive experience—one that oscillates between melancholy and euphoria, vulnerability and ecstatic release. As both artists celebrate over a decade of sonic evolution, All Worlds stands as a testament to their shared vision: an exploration of human emotion through sound, inviting audiences into a universe of fragile beauty and rhythmic transcendence.
Lust For Youth, the project of Swedish artist Hannes Norrvide, has continually evolved within the synth-pop and electronic music landscape. From the lo-fi industrial tones of early releases to the polished synth-pop of their self-titled album in 2019, Lust For Youth has demonstrated a dynamic range. In recent years, the project has expanded its sonic horizons with singles like "Accidental Win" (2022), "Giorgia" (2023), and "Blue Suzuki" (2023), showcasing a clear evolution beyond traditional synth-pop into broader soundscapes. This progression culminates in their collaboration with Croatian Amor on the 2025 album All Worlds, marking a bold step into new sonic territories.
Croatian Amor is the alias of Danish artist Loke Rahbek, co-founder of the influential label Posh Isolation. Known for crafting intricate, emotive soundscapes that bridge ambient, experimental electronics, and conceptual storytelling, Rahbek has released a series of compelling works. Following the acclaimed Isa (2019), he continued to explore human emotion and connection through albums like Remember Rainbow Bridge (2022) and A Part of You in Everything (2023). His collaborative work with Lust For Youth on All Worlds (2025) further exemplifies his ability to blend ethereal textures with rhythmic propulsion, creating performances that are both emotionally stirring and physically engaging.
Saint Abdullah & Eomac unites Iranian-Canadian brothers Mohammad and Mehdi Mehrabani-Yeganeh with Irish producer Ian McDonnell in a transcontinental collaboration bridging cultural and geographical divides. Working remotely between New York and Wicklow, Ireland since 2019, these mutual admirers discovered their distinct production approaches—Saint Abdullah's analog hardware explorations and Eomac's digital precision—create a complementary sonic palette characterized by raw textures, heavy sampling, and extreme contrasts.
Saint Abdullah's practice is rooted in sonic storytelling that blends geopolitics, religion, and cultural heritage, serving as an introduction to their Iranian roots while reflecting their experience growing up in the West. Meanwhile, McDonnell's Eomac project is known for visceral sound design and obscure sampling, creating intense music that engages both body and soul. Together, they craft cohesive sonic worlds where chaos and structure coexist—thick, grounding chords supporting experimental elements that bubble above the surface.
As Mohammad describes their collective vision: "We exist to test the revolutionary possibilities within sound and sonic storytelling, as a means to finding a vision of the future and for building cultural dialogue today." This explorative attitude has yielded several acclaimed releases, including 2021's "Patience of a Traitor" on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label, two 2023 releases on Mike Paradinas' Planet Mu—the EP "A Vow Not to Read" and the album "Chasing Stateless"—and their 2024 album "Light Meteors Crashing Around You Will Not Confuse You" on Drowned by Locals.
The group has recently expanded into live performance, with appearances at Nuits Sonores and Tehran Contemporary Sounds, alongside their collaborative piece "A Forbidden Distance" with video artist Rebecca Salvadori, which has been performed at Berlin Atonal, Unsound, and Semibreve to critical acclaim.
booking contacts :
TLF Trio: A Sculptural Approach to Chamber Music
TLF Trio, a Danish experimental ensemble, artfully deconstructs and reconstructs traditional chamber music through a blend of improvisation, sampling, and electronic beats. The trio's unique sonic landscape emerges from the diverse backgrounds of its members: cellist Cæcilie Trier, pianist Jakob Littauer, and guitarist MK Velsorf. Their music draws inspiration from minimalism, free jazz, classical compositions spanning the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, and elements of pop and house.
Cæcilie Trier, a versatile cellist and vocalist, is a prominent figure in the Danish experimental music scene. With a strong foundation in classical music, she has explored various genres, including indie pop and electronic music, under the moniker CTM. Her work is recognized for its emotional depth and innovative cello use. Jakob Littauer, a highly skilled pianist, brings a strong classical background and is known for his improvisational prowess, often incorporating elements of jazz and contemporary composition. MK Velsorf, a guitarist with a diverse musical background, skillfully blends rock, jazz, and experimental elements, utilizing textures and sonic manipulation to contribute to the trio's distinctive sound.
TLF Trio has released two notable works: "Sweet Harmony" in 2022, their debut album introducing their deconstructed chamber music approach, and "New Songs & Variations" in 2023, an EP featuring new material and reinterpretations of works by German dub techno pioneer Moritz von Oswald, both on Latency Records. Their innovative blend of acoustic and electronic elements has graced prestigious venues and festivals across Europe, including Berlin Atonal, KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, Rewire Festival in The Hague, Villa Medici in Rome, Marian Goodman Gallery in Paris, and Musikhuset in Copenhagen. Fans can look forward to a new album scheduled for release in spring 2025.
Characterized by its sculptural quality, TLF Trio's music transforms sound into a tangible form. Their performances seamlessly transition between composed sections and improvisations, creating a dynamic and evolving soundscape. The trio's ability to blend acoustic instruments with electronic processing results in a sound that is both organic and otherworldly, inviting listeners into a unique and immersive experience.
TLF Trio has performed stages around the world including; Berlin Atonal, Rewire Festival, Marianne Goodman Gallery in Paris, Musikhuset in Copenhagen, Tanzquartier Vienna, Villa Medici in Rome, and New Hollywood Theatre in Los Angeles.
New Songs & Variations (Latency, 2023)
booking contact : michelle@potnnia-theron.de
Kelman Duran and FRANKIE come together in a rare and electrifying collaboration that merges experimental electronics with deeply expressive instrumentation and voice. Debuting at Berlin Atonal 2024, their live performance stunned audiences with its emotive intensity and genre-defying aesthetic—unfolding like a fever dream of fragmented rhythms, eerie ambiance, and cinematic catharsis.
Their forthcoming album, set for release in 2025, expands on this language—where raw cello meets spectral vocals, and weightless melodies are carved into deep, broken beats. Drawing from their distinct practices, the duo crafts a soundscape that is simultaneously brutal and tender, anchored in emotional storytelling and sonic innovation.
Kelman Duran
Kelman Duran is a Dominican-born, Los Angeles-based producer, composer, and visual artist whose work defies easy classification. Fusing reggaeton, ambient, drill, and industrial textures, his music carries a potent political and emotional charge. Beyond his acclaimed solo releases, Duran has contributed to major projects including Beyoncé’s Renaissance (tracks: I’m That Girl, Heated), and composed the score for the 2022 Cannes-selected film Rodeo. His sound design is immersive, atmospheric, and cinematic—interrogating space, diaspora, memory, and violence.
FRANKIE (Franziska Aigner)
FRANKIE is a Berlin-based cellist, vocalist, and producer whose work spans experimental music, performance, and philosophy. Known for her emotionally arresting voice and adventurous approach to composition, she combines classical instrumentation with vocal abstraction and sonic deconstruction. Her EPs STYX (2022) and HEAVEN/HELL (2023) introduced a unique artistic language of shadowy textures and urgent resonance. As a frequent collaborator with artists such as Anne Imhof, William Forsythe, and Austin Lynch, FRANKIE’s practice moves fluidly across disciplines and formats. She also holds a PhD in philosophy and lectures on modern European thought and philosophy of technology.
Booking Contact: michelle@potnia-theron.de
