Don’t Bring an Instrument

Course and initiative for sound art

Don’t Bring an Instrument is an initiative founded and run by me and Stella Dieden Richter since 2023.

Description for the course’s second iteration, as it appeared in the catalog of electable course elements for students at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, Spring 2025:

This course is for students who want to explore sonic arts outside of conventional or technically focused practices. It aims to introduce the medium of sound through a collective lens that includes discussions on individual artistic practice. We will look into the sonic landscape of Stockholm, in relation to the current political vision of Stockholm as a city without “disturbing noise”. There will be visits to construction sites, and art spaces facing the prospect of commercial redevelopment such as Fylkingen and Henriksberg. The course will also aim to introduce a theoretical foundation in sonic practice through artist visits and lectures on topics such as ‘queer noise’ in order to give conceptual tools to think around sound socially and politically. A focus is put upon discussing and sharing thoughts and questions within the group in regard to what has been experienced. The course may culminate in a possibility to share the students’ work to the school and public.