Current Shapes with Marja Ahti, Giuseppe de Benedittis

Current Shapes returns to the Accademia Chigiana International Summer Festival for an immersive night of electroacoustic performance and acousmatic sound diffusion. Marking the eighth edition of this concert series, the event will take place at Palazzo Chigi Saracini on August 21st. Taking center stage for this special occasion is the Organo Motore, a custom-built, 16-way artisanal sound system crafted by Nicola Facchini and Giuseppe de Benedittis. Drawing inspiration from the iconic INA GRM Acousmonium and Luigi Russolo’s intonarumori, this unique spatial audio system will be specially installed to transform the Chigiana concert hall. The evening features two performances tailored to the system's capabilities. Giuseppe de Benedittis, blending his background in classical composition with live electronics, will deliver a site-specific performance anchoring on the Serge modular synthesizer. He is joined by Swedish-born composer Marja Ahti, who will present a live show weaving acousmatic and documentary field recordings into rich sonic textures that perfectly match the Organo Motore’s multi-channel design. Current Shapes is produced and curated by SOW, in collaboration with Accademia Chigiana, radioarte.it, and Inner Room Siena. Special thanks to the cultural dissemination center Santa Chiara Lab - University of Siena for their patronage and invaluable contribution. Artwork for the event is created by Lena Lüem.