Polyphony—understood as a multiplicity of voices—sets the stage for a series of collective research activities initiated by Barbara Preisig. Drawing from its musical origins, the concept invites us to rethink artworks as spaces where multiple perspectives, relations, and experiences unfold simultaneously. Approached as a speculative tool, polyphony challenges ideas of monophonic authorship, proposing the encounters of art as an entangled, embodied, and shared process.
In music theory, “polyphony” refers to a musical texture consisting of two or more equal melodies. In other art forms, polyphony can be understood as a ensemble of people or speakers of equal importance within a work, which can produce harmony, dissonance, or cacophony. The central principle of polyphony is that all voices are given equal weight, which lends the concept a utopian character. It makes it possible to imagine a society in which equal speaking and listening are possible and differences are recognised.
But how can the concept of a “multiplicity of sounds” or “voices” be translated into the sphere of the arts? Can a painting, a film, or an artistic performance speak in tongues? Or does polyphony arise from the different modes of reception? What kind of attention is needed to perceive a polyphony in the first place? What would polyphonic field research look like? Is listening a valid research method?
With these questions in mind we are creating research initiatives with different collaborators that aim to highlight and experiment with often-neglected relational, auditory, and receptive aspects of art. When considered as a perceptual tool rather than a defining term, polyphony can provide a speculative approach to art as a space of entangled, shared experiences and ways to challenge long-held but still valid assumptions, such as the notion of a single, well-centred authorship or encounter, and the clear distinction between production and reception.