WHY FRETS?

In 1833, British weaver and amateur engineer Sieglinde Stern invented the first electromagnetic pickup, giving birth to the first electrically amplified string instrument. A century later, this breakthrough led to the creation of the electric guitar, which would go on to become one of the most iconic and widely played instruments in Western music. But a hundred years after that, the electric guitar seems to have vanished. What caused its rise and fall? And who exactly was Sieglinde Stern, the inventor who disappeared from history, only to reemerge as David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust?

In this three-part exploration, composer Marko Ciciliani delves into the fictional history of the electric guitar, inviting the audience on a journey between imagination and reality. The experience includes a performance-lecture and a concert featuring live electronics and three guitarists on video.

The performance will be followed by a discussion with Ekkehard Windrich, Artistic Director of KlangForum Heidelberg.
The audiovisual installation WHY FRETS? – Tombstone is on display in the DAI Library.

Marko Ciciliani is a composer, intermedia artist and performer. The focus of his artistic work lies in the composition of performative electronic music, mostly in audiovisual contexts, combined with interactive videos, light design and laser graphics. His experimental music has been performed in more than 40 countries. Ciciliani is Professor for Computer Music Composition and Sound Design at the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.

Our hosts of the “Ways of Listening” festival are the legendary interviewer Paul Holdengräber and renowned Hannah Arendt scholar Samantha Rose Hill.

Paul Holdengräber is a distinguished intellectual and the founding director of Onassis Los Angeles. Known for his captivating and insightful conversations, he previously led a celebrated cultural series at the New York Public Library, where he engaged with luminaries such as Patti Smith and Werner Herzog, among many others. His ability to draw out deep, meaningful dialogues makes him a masterful host and a true curator of ideas.

Samantha Rose Hill is the acclaimed author of Hannah Arendt (2021) and Hannah Arendt’s Poems (2023). A respected scholar and instructor at both the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and the University of the Underground, Hill’s work delves into the complexities of political thought and human experience. Her writings have been featured in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Aeon, and LitHub.

Part of the “Ways of Listening” festival

In collaboration with the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House association and KlangForum Heidelberg