19 June 2025 - University of Antwerp, Mesodrome
Join us for a unique and immersive sonic experience inside the Mesodrome —one of the world’s largest river simulation facilities— where the fluid ecologies of the River Rhine will be brought to life through three commissioned radio plays, presented via silent disco headsets.
Conceived and organized by Dr. Haseeb Ahmed and supported by Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, Pantha Rhei on the Rhine is a transdisciplinary project exploring the cultural, industrial, and ecological entanglements of the river through a techno-poetic lens. Rooted in Heraclitus’ dictum “everything flows,” the project asks how we might read the river to provide new perspectives on the urgent ecological challenges major waterways face today.
Each sound work traces a segment of the Rhine’s flow:
- Pablo Diserens evokes the alpine headwaters through collaborations with the Rock Ptarmigan, a relict species living in glacial regions that feed the Rhine.
- Diana Duta leads listeners into the mythic and murky Middle-Rhine, where siren songs echo around the Lorelei Rock, a legendary and treacherous bend in the river.
- Flurina Mia Häberli explores the aquatic noise pollution at the river’s industrial mouth near Rotterdam, imagining what a more ecologically attuned acoustic environment might sound like—for human and non-human life alike.
This is the third listening session in a series held along the course of the Rhine. Some of the commissioned artists will be present.
Programme
- 19:00 Welcome
- 19:30 Introduction to the Mesodrome and Pantha Rhei on the Rhine with: – Prof. Ronny Blust / Jonas Schoelynck (professors at Ecosphere group, University of Antwerp) – Dr. Haseeb Ahmed (artist and organizer, University of Antwerp alum) – Diana Duta and Flurina Häberli (commissioned Artists)
- 20:00 Immersive Listening Session (via silent disco headsets)
- 20:45 Informal discussion and reception
- 21:30 End
Practical
- June 19 at 19:00
- Location: University of Antwerp’s Ecosphere Mesodrome, Campus Drie Eiken
- Registration: please register using the button below
Pantha Rhei on the Rhine is supported by Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council, and realized in partnership with Museum Rehmann (Switzerland), Ecosphere at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), and V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media (Netherlands).
We look forward to sharing this flowing journey with you.
The Mesodrome is part of the European Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems (AnaEE) platforms https://www.anaee.be/platforms/