The direct relationship between sound and behavior has been documented outside the military over the centuries, from the musical treatment of mental patients in the Ottoman Empire to Muzak’s stimulus progression theory. LESS-LETHAL is a sound art and research project that explores the link between music and non-lethal weaponry throughout history,with a rather sarcastic approach. In 2007, the first chapter of the experiment was published as a compilation CD where eleven sound artists from all over the world were invited to create a ‘sound weapon’ (a musical piece that could be used as a weapon in an armed conflict) to compensate for the armies’ and PSYOP’s (Psychological Operations) complete lack of research. Currently, ALKU is working on the second volume, which will be specifically focused on subliminal messages and mind control applied to music. This lecture is a walkthrough of that relationship between audio and warfare from ancient times to the recent developments in the weapons industry, and an invitation to think about how we perceive sound and music.

ALKU is a record label and artists collective founded in 1997 in Barcelona by Anna Ramos and Roc Jiménez de Cisneros. The label’s catalogue is a challenging compendium of unclassifiable music and various concept-driven collective projects and installations.

Date: Jan 31 (Saturday), 2009

Time: 3pm-4:30pm

Venue: Videotage, Cattle Depot Artist Village

Address: Unit 13, Cattle Depot Artist Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, To Kwa Wan, Kln.