Ambient Afternoon

Carmen Villain Impossible Color
Ida Aurora Høikleiv Ribu: Visuals

Félicia Atkinson: IMAGE LANGUAGE

Ambient music has been a mainstay of electronic music ever since the concept was developed by Brian Eno in the mid-70s, bridging the divide between pop and composed forms of music. It has survived many revolutions in musical fashion over the decades, and is currently enjoying a resurgence.

At Henie Onstad Kunstsenter Ultima presents performances by two artists who have reclaimed the concept of ambient music in individual ways. Mexican-Norwegian artist and producer Carmen Villain has moved further towards a highly textured form of lush and emotional ambient tone poems with tapestries of field-recordings, acoustic instruments such as flute, clarinet, piano, and electronics. This set finds her exploring sound textures, slowly evolving harmonies and atmospherics, accompanied by visuals from textile artist Ida Aurora Høiklev Ribu.

Image Language is the name of French artist Félicia Atkinson’s upcoming album and new live set. Her music is a whirl of electroacoustic/MIDI sounds, field recordings, improvised text, grand piano and Fender Rhodes, defining a mental landscape composed of abstract and figurative narratives.

In collaboration with Ultima and Institut français de Norvège