Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale: Rites of Eternal Wind
From September 6 to November 1, 2025, the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture in Almaty will host the second edition of Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale. Through the natural evolution of the Sound Art and New Music Biennale into the Sonic Arts Triennale, the second Korkut keeps its initial focus on sound and music, but brings this vision even further by pushing the institutional boundaries that oen restrict these artistic fields. Extending beyond sound installations and live concerts, Rites of Eternal Wind will showcase some of the most adventurous sonic events and situations, including soundwalks, experimental choir performances, hybrid poetry readings, research-driven audio essays, guided listening sessions, and more.
The updated conceptual framework is rooted in the understanding that Central Asian, Turkic, North Asian, and many other cultures in the broader region are fundamentally auditory, with oral and listening traditions historically taking precedence over written ones. For generations, sonic practices of these lands—whether instrumental music, spoken literature, or various forms of improvisation—have been central to shaping societies and their worldviews. Take aitys, oen considered an early form of political debate, or küis—musical compositions for traditional instruments—many of which are believed to cure illnesses and cast out evil spirits. Honouring these practices and making room for others, the newly opened Center for Contemporary Culture will transform into a vast resonating space for sonic ceremonies, sonic rituals, sonic dialogues, sonic celebrations, sonic mournings, and sonic remedies.
Most of these practices are easy to learn but difficult to master. They are accessible to nearly everyone, regardless of special training or social status, yet, in some cases, they require a lifelong commitment. Inspired by this duality, Tselinny will also host an extensive educational program designed to engage both professional audiences and people with no prior experience in music and sound—those passionate about sonic arts but uncertain of where to begin. The program, featuring workshops, lectures, roundtables, and artist talks, will culminate in an artistic research lab—a special project closely aligned with the Triennale’s thematic pathways. The lab’s participants, selected through an open call, will be invited to critically examine the concept of musical tradition, addressing both the framing of so-called world music—othen used to exoticize and marginalize those outside established power structures—and the competitive, exploitative nature of academia, historically bound by artificial constraints (such as written notation) that have transformed what was once a sacred practice into a mere commodity.
In this sense, Rites of Eternal Wind is also a love letter to traditions that have existed for centuries outside the Western framework of music, such as Southeast Asian and Buddhist practices of sonic meditation and attentive listening, that were appropriated by North American and European avant-garde movements in the mid-20th century and presented as groundbreaking innovations at the time. They resonate alongside the ideas of Japanese Fluxus pioneers, also featured within the Triennale framework, dedicated to presence through absence, sounding through silence, the careful listening to the faintest sounds, and the exploration of sonic environments where sound is absent or even impossible.
The Wind Rises
At its core, Rites of Eternal Wind draws inspiration from the simple yet complex relationship between sound and wind, in which wind is examined as both a powerful cultural symbol and a physical element.
Understanding wind is fundamental to our understanding of acoustics. As the movement of air, it interacts with objects in the environment, causing vibrations that produce sound. In turn, sound travels through the air, setting off a chain reaction that carries its energy. This principle lies at the core of the design of many musical instruments, starting with the voice—the most primal and fundamental instrument of all—which can be amplified when spoken or sung into the wind, allowing it to carry the song. Woodwind and brass instruments, both complex and foundational (such as the Bashqort quray or the Kazakh sybyzgy), rely on the performer’s breath to create wind, which makes them resonate. Organs generate wind artificially, forcing it through pipes of varying lengths to produce sound, following the very same principle.
Some instruments, when played by a skilled performer, can mimic the sound of wind, causing pieces of wood and skin to rumble like a hurricane or strings to howl like the buran on the winter steppe—like the kobyz, a significant symbol in Kazakh culture. It is believed that the first version of this string instrument was crafted by Qorqyt Ata, a 10th-century akyn (bard-improviser), who played the kobyz not only to create beautiful music but also to ward off death. This myth is powerfully captured in the Qorqyt Ata Memorial on the banks of the Syr Darya River in Kazakhstan, near his birthplace. The Memorial also reflects the interplay between sound and wind, as one of the sculptures, designed by architect Bek Ibrayev and acoustical engineer Sovet Isatayev in 1980, evokes both the shape and the sound of the kobyz—standing eight meters tall, it harnesses the steppe wind to play an organ housed within, its forty metal pipes howling and moaning as the wind blows. This gigantic kobyz emits sound to inspire visitors, echoing the common interpretation of the myth: that Qorqyt Ata ultimately achieved immortality through his service to humanity, creating music that lived on beyond his lifetime.
Honoring the patron saint of poets and musicians in its full official title and adopting the more international spelling Korkut over the Kazakh variant Qorqyt, the Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale invites participants to critically engage with the myth, reexamining the tale of a man and his daring attempt to defy the inevitability of fate.
The Wind Howls
The desire to control the uncontrollable is deeply ingrained in human nature, reflecting our constant struggle against the unknown. This drive is evident in humanity's persistent attempts to dominate the wind, which has at times surrendered to our will.
The wind swelled the sails, driving the colonial ships forward, carrying those who saw themselves as chosen to claim distant lands, enslave and starve entire populations, and impose humiliation and suffering. Their ambitions, swi as the fiercest breeze, summoned winds of an even darker nature—fiery whirlwinds that scattered the ashes of villages reduced to rubble, along with the remains of those who dared to resist, their families consumed by flames. The survivors, cast into exile, were swept away by a new type of wind—the one that carried them to distant, foreign lands, with no hope of return. Reinforcing and normalizing the occupation, those in power disguise their neocolonial desires under the rhetoric of liberalism, continuing to subjugate the wind—today, in the name of so-called green energy—without end.
When the earth becomes a vast and lifeless desert, the mournful howl of the Eternal Wind will be the only thing that remains. But as long as we are here, just as the wind carries and amplifies voices, so too should we—even if those voices are mere whispers, forced to fade into silence.
The Wind Whispers
Rites of Eternal Wind is also an invitation. And while it is best to remain modest about the political potential of art, which cannot and should not replace direct action, the Triennale also cannot, and should not, ignore the ongoing horrors unfolding before our eyes today: wars and genocides, forced displacement and hunger, the erosion of democracy, and the rise of authoritarian oppression.
We are haunted by sounds that can no longer be heard—one might attempt to listen for the waves of seas long vanished, deserted by extractivism. We are haunted by sounds we oen ignore—the low, comforting hum of wind turbines generating clean energy on lands cleansed through genocide and forced displacement. And we will forever be haunted by sounds that cannot be silenced, no matter how hard we try—the shrieks of sirens, the cries of agony, the rattle of bullets piercing through the cold winter air.
At the very least, we invite everyone to learn how to listen attentively to the world around us and to use the space of the Triennale to reflect on how, together, we can set off a chain reaction—one that would carry our energy to build solidarity, inspire collective action, and heal.
List of participants (in alphabetical order): Yara Asmar, Nurbak Batulla, Medina Bazargali, Syrlybek Bekbotaev, Azadbek Bekchanov, Ivan Beketov, Bint Mbareh, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Cevdet Erek, Jolda, Kokonja, Lovozero, Jazgul Madazimova, Sainkho Namtchylak, Aisha Orazbayeva, Raushan Orazbayeva, Intizor Otaniyezova, Cinna Peyghamy, Samrattama, Mieko Shiomi, Şüräle, Aina Zhekebatyr + more TBA
Curators: Anuar Duisenbinov, Madina Sadybekova, Stas Sharifulla
From September 6 to November 1, 2025, the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture in Almaty will host the second edition of Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale. Through the natural evolution of the Sound Art and New Music Biennale into the Sonic Arts Triennale, the second Korkut keeps its initial focus on sound and music, but brings this vision even further by pushing the institutional boundaries that oen restrict these artistic fields. Extending beyond sound installations and live concerts, Rites of Eternal Wind will showcase some of the most adventurous sonic events and situations, including soundwalks, experimental choir performances, hybrid poetry readings, research-driven audio essays, guided listening sessions, and more.
The updated conceptual framework is rooted in the understanding that Central Asian, Turkic, North Asian, and many other cultures in the broader region are fundamentally auditory, with oral and listening traditions historically taking precedence over written ones. For generations, sonic practices of these lands—whether instrumental music, spoken literature, or various forms of improvisation—have been central to shaping societies and their worldviews. Take aitys, oen considered an early form of political debate, or küis—musical compositions for traditional instruments—many of which are believed to cure illnesses and cast out evil spirits. Honouring these practices and making room for others, the newly opened Center for Contemporary Culture will transform into a vast resonating space for sonic ceremonies, sonic rituals, sonic dialogues, sonic celebrations, sonic mournings, and sonic remedies.
Most of these practices are easy to learn but difficult to master. They are accessible to nearly everyone, regardless of special training or social status, yet, in some cases, they require a lifelong commitment. Inspired by this duality, Tselinny will also host an extensive educational program designed to engage both professional audiences and people with no prior experience in music and sound—those passionate about sonic arts but uncertain of where to begin. The program, featuring workshops, lectures, roundtables, and artist talks, will culminate in an artistic research lab—a special project closely aligned with the Triennale’s thematic pathways. The lab’s participants, selected through an open call, will be invited to critically examine the concept of musical tradition, addressing both the framing of so-called world music—othen used to exoticize and marginalize those outside established power structures—and the competitive, exploitative nature of academia, historically bound by artificial constraints (such as written notation) that have transformed what was once a sacred practice into a mere commodity.
In this sense, Rites of Eternal Wind is also a love letter to traditions that have existed for centuries outside the Western framework of music, such as Southeast Asian and Buddhist practices of sonic meditation and attentive listening, that were appropriated by North American and European avant-garde movements in the mid-20th century and presented as groundbreaking innovations at the time. They resonate alongside the ideas of Japanese Fluxus pioneers, also featured within the Triennale framework, dedicated to presence through absence, sounding through silence, the careful listening to the faintest sounds, and the exploration of sonic environments where sound is absent or even impossible.
The Wind Rises
At its core, Rites of Eternal Wind draws inspiration from the simple yet complex relationship between sound and wind, in which wind is examined as both a powerful cultural symbol and a physical element.
Understanding wind is fundamental to our understanding of acoustics. As the movement of air, it interacts with objects in the environment, causing vibrations that produce sound. In turn, sound travels through the air, setting off a chain reaction that carries its energy. This principle lies at the core of the design of many musical instruments, starting with the voice—the most primal and fundamental instrument of all—which can be amplified when spoken or sung into the wind, allowing it to carry the song. Woodwind and brass instruments, both complex and foundational (such as the Bashqort quray or the Kazakh sybyzgy), rely on the performer’s breath to create wind, which makes them resonate. Organs generate wind artificially, forcing it through pipes of varying lengths to produce sound, following the very same principle.
Some instruments, when played by a skilled performer, can mimic the sound of wind, causing pieces of wood and skin to rumble like a hurricane or strings to howl like the buran on the winter steppe—like the kobyz, a significant symbol in Kazakh culture. It is believed that the first version of this string instrument was crafted by Qorqyt Ata, a 10th-century akyn (bard-improviser), who played the kobyz not only to create beautiful music but also to ward off death. This myth is powerfully captured in the Qorqyt Ata Memorial on the banks of the Syr Darya River in Kazakhstan, near his birthplace. The Memorial also reflects the interplay between sound and wind, as one of the sculptures, designed by architect Bek Ibrayev and acoustical engineer Sovet Isatayev in 1980, evokes both the shape and the sound of the kobyz—standing eight meters tall, it harnesses the steppe wind to play an organ housed within, its forty metal pipes howling and moaning as the wind blows. This gigantic kobyz emits sound to inspire visitors, echoing the common interpretation of the myth: that Qorqyt Ata ultimately achieved immortality through his service to humanity, creating music that lived on beyond his lifetime.
Honoring the patron saint of poets and musicians in its full official title and adopting the more international spelling Korkut over the Kazakh variant Qorqyt, the Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale invites participants to critically engage with the myth, reexamining the tale of a man and his daring attempt to defy the inevitability of fate.
The Wind Howls
The desire to control the uncontrollable is deeply ingrained in human nature, reflecting our constant struggle against the unknown. This drive is evident in humanity's persistent attempts to dominate the wind, which has at times surrendered to our will.
The wind swelled the sails, driving the colonial ships forward, carrying those who saw themselves as chosen to claim distant lands, enslave and starve entire populations, and impose humiliation and suffering. Their ambitions, swi as the fiercest breeze, summoned winds of an even darker nature—fiery whirlwinds that scattered the ashes of villages reduced to rubble, along with the remains of those who dared to resist, their families consumed by flames. The survivors, cast into exile, were swept away by a new type of wind—the one that carried them to distant, foreign lands, with no hope of return. Reinforcing and normalizing the occupation, those in power disguise their neocolonial desires under the rhetoric of liberalism, continuing to subjugate the wind—today, in the name of so-called green energy—without end.
When the earth becomes a vast and lifeless desert, the mournful howl of the Eternal Wind will be the only thing that remains. But as long as we are here, just as the wind carries and amplifies voices, so too should we—even if those voices are mere whispers, forced to fade into silence.
The Wind Whispers
Rites of Eternal Wind is also an invitation. And while it is best to remain modest about the political potential of art, which cannot and should not replace direct action, the Triennale also cannot, and should not, ignore the ongoing horrors unfolding before our eyes today: wars and genocides, forced displacement and hunger, the erosion of democracy, and the rise of authoritarian oppression.
We are haunted by sounds that can no longer be heard—one might attempt to listen for the waves of seas long vanished, deserted by extractivism. We are haunted by sounds we oen ignore—the low, comforting hum of wind turbines generating clean energy on lands cleansed through genocide and forced displacement. And we will forever be haunted by sounds that cannot be silenced, no matter how hard we try—the shrieks of sirens, the cries of agony, the rattle of bullets piercing through the cold winter air.
At the very least, we invite everyone to learn how to listen attentively to the world around us and to use the space of the Triennale to reflect on how, together, we can set off a chain reaction—one that would carry our energy to build solidarity, inspire collective action, and heal.
List of participants (in alphabetical order): Yara Asmar, Nurbak Batulla, Medina Bazargali, Syrlybek Bekbotaev, Azadbek Bekchanov, Ivan Beketov, Bint Mbareh, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Cevdet Erek, Jolda, Kokonja, Lovozero, Jazgul Madazimova, Sainkho Namtchylak, Aisha Orazbayeva, Raushan Orazbayeva, Intizor Otaniyezova, Cinna Peyghamy, Samrattama, Mieko Shiomi, Şüräle, Aina Zhekebatyr + more TBA
Curators: Anuar Duisenbinov, Madina Sadybekova, Stas Sharifulla
Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale: Rites of Eternal Wind
From September 6 to November 1, 2025, the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture in Almaty will host the second edition of Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale. Through the natural evolution of the Sound Art and New Music Biennale into the Sonic Arts Triennale, the second Korkut keeps its initial focus on sound and music, but brings this vision even further by pushing the institutional boundaries that oen restrict these artistic fields. Extending beyond sound installations and live concerts, Rites of Eternal Wind will showcase some of the most adventurous sonic events and situations, including soundwalks, experimental choir performances, hybrid poetry readings, research-driven audio essays, guided listening sessions, and more.
The updated conceptual framework is rooted in the understanding that Central Asian, Turkic, North Asian, and many other cultures in the broader region are fundamentally auditory, with oral and listening traditions historically taking precedence over written ones. For generations, sonic practices of these lands—whether instrumental music, spoken literature, or various forms of improvisation—have been central to shaping societies and their worldviews. Take aitys, oen considered an early form of political debate, or küis—musical compositions for traditional instruments—many of which are believed to cure illnesses and cast out evil spirits. Honouring these practices and making room for others, the newly opened Center for Contemporary Culture will transform into a vast resonating space for sonic ceremonies, sonic rituals, sonic dialogues, sonic celebrations, sonic mournings, and sonic remedies.
Most of these practices are easy to learn but difficult to master. They are accessible to nearly everyone, regardless of special training or social status, yet, in some cases, they require a lifelong commitment. Inspired by this duality, Tselinny will also host an extensive educational program designed to engage both professional audiences and people with no prior experience in music and sound—those passionate about sonic arts but uncertain of where to begin. The program, featuring workshops, lectures, roundtables, and artist talks, will culminate in an artistic research lab—a special project closely aligned with the Triennale’s thematic pathways. The lab’s participants, selected through an open call, will be invited to critically examine the concept of musical tradition, addressing both the framing of so-called world music—othen used to exoticize and marginalize those outside established power structures—and the competitive, exploitative nature of academia, historically bound by artificial constraints (such as written notation) that have transformed what was once a sacred practice into a mere commodity.
In this sense, Rites of Eternal Wind is also a love letter to traditions that have existed for centuries outside the Western framework of music, such as Southeast Asian and Buddhist practices of sonic meditation and attentive listening, that were appropriated by North American and European avant-garde movements in the mid-20th century and presented as groundbreaking innovations at the time. They resonate alongside the ideas of Japanese Fluxus pioneers, also featured within the Triennale framework, dedicated to presence through absence, sounding through silence, the careful listening to the faintest sounds, and the exploration of sonic environments where sound is absent or even impossible.
The Wind Rises
At its core, Rites of Eternal Wind draws inspiration from the simple yet complex relationship between sound and wind, in which wind is examined as both a powerful cultural symbol and a physical element.
Understanding wind is fundamental to our understanding of acoustics. As the movement of air, it interacts with objects in the environment, causing vibrations that produce sound. In turn, sound travels through the air, setting off a chain reaction that carries its energy. This principle lies at the core of the design of many musical instruments, starting with the voice—the most primal and fundamental instrument of all—which can be amplified when spoken or sung into the wind, allowing it to carry the song. Woodwind and brass instruments, both complex and foundational (such as the Bashqort quray or the Kazakh sybyzgy), rely on the performer’s breath to create wind, which makes them resonate. Organs generate wind artificially, forcing it through pipes of varying lengths to produce sound, following the very same principle.
Some instruments, when played by a skilled performer, can mimic the sound of wind, causing pieces of wood and skin to rumble like a hurricane or strings to howl like the buran on the winter steppe—like the kobyz, a significant symbol in Kazakh culture. It is believed that the first version of this string instrument was crafted by Qorqyt Ata, a 10th-century akyn (bard-improviser), who played the kobyz not only to create beautiful music but also to ward off death. This myth is powerfully captured in the Qorqyt Ata Memorial on the banks of the Syr Darya River in Kazakhstan, near his birthplace. The Memorial also reflects the interplay between sound and wind, as one of the sculptures, designed by architect Bek Ibrayev and acoustical engineer Sovet Isatayev in 1980, evokes both the shape and the sound of the kobyz—standing eight meters tall, it harnesses the steppe wind to play an organ housed within, its forty metal pipes howling and moaning as the wind blows. This gigantic kobyz emits sound to inspire visitors, echoing the common interpretation of the myth: that Qorqyt Ata ultimately achieved immortality through his service to humanity, creating music that lived on beyond his lifetime.
Honoring the patron saint of poets and musicians in its full official title and adopting the more international spelling Korkut over the Kazakh variant Qorqyt, the Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale invites participants to critically engage with the myth, reexamining the tale of a man and his daring attempt to defy the inevitability of fate.
The Wind Howls
The desire to control the uncontrollable is deeply ingrained in human nature, reflecting our constant struggle against the unknown. This drive is evident in humanity's persistent attempts to dominate the wind, which has at times surrendered to our will.
The wind swelled the sails, driving the colonial ships forward, carrying those who saw themselves as chosen to claim distant lands, enslave and starve entire populations, and impose humiliation and suffering. Their ambitions, swi as the fiercest breeze, summoned winds of an even darker nature—fiery whirlwinds that scattered the ashes of villages reduced to rubble, along with the remains of those who dared to resist, their families consumed by flames. The survivors, cast into exile, were swept away by a new type of wind—the one that carried them to distant, foreign lands, with no hope of return. Reinforcing and normalizing the occupation, those in power disguise their neocolonial desires under the rhetoric of liberalism, continuing to subjugate the wind—today, in the name of so-called green energy—without end.
When the earth becomes a vast and lifeless desert, the mournful howl of the Eternal Wind will be the only thing that remains. But as long as we are here, just as the wind carries and amplifies voices, so too should we—even if those voices are mere whispers, forced to fade into silence.
The Wind Whispers
Rites of Eternal Wind is also an invitation. And while it is best to remain modest about the political potential of art, which cannot and should not replace direct action, the Triennale also cannot, and should not, ignore the ongoing horrors unfolding before our eyes today: wars and genocides, forced displacement and hunger, the erosion of democracy, and the rise of authoritarian oppression.
We are haunted by sounds that can no longer be heard—one might attempt to listen for the waves of seas long vanished, deserted by extractivism. We are haunted by sounds we oen ignore—the low, comforting hum of wind turbines generating clean energy on lands cleansed through genocide and forced displacement. And we will forever be haunted by sounds that cannot be silenced, no matter how hard we try—the shrieks of sirens, the cries of agony, the rattle of bullets piercing through the cold winter air.
At the very least, we invite everyone to learn how to listen attentively to the world around us and to use the space of the Triennale to reflect on how, together, we can set off a chain reaction—one that would carry our energy to build solidarity, inspire collective action, and heal.
List of participants (in alphabetical order): Yara Asmar, Nurbak Batulla, Medina Bazargali, Syrlybek Bekbotaev, Azadbek Bekchanov, Ivan Beketov, Bint Mbareh, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Cevdet Erek, Jolda, Kokonja, Lovozero, Jazgul Madazimova, Sainkho Namtchylak, Aisha Orazbayeva, Raushan Orazbayeva, Intizor Otaniyezova, Cinna Peyghamy, Samrattama, Mieko Shiomi, Şüräle, Aina Zhekebatyr + more TBA
Curators: Anuar Duisenbinov, Madina Sadybekova, Stas Sharifulla
From September 6 to November 1, 2025, the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture in Almaty will host the second edition of Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale. Through the natural evolution of the Sound Art and New Music Biennale into the Sonic Arts Triennale, the second Korkut keeps its initial focus on sound and music, but brings this vision even further by pushing the institutional boundaries that oen restrict these artistic fields. Extending beyond sound installations and live concerts, Rites of Eternal Wind will showcase some of the most adventurous sonic events and situations, including soundwalks, experimental choir performances, hybrid poetry readings, research-driven audio essays, guided listening sessions, and more.
The updated conceptual framework is rooted in the understanding that Central Asian, Turkic, North Asian, and many other cultures in the broader region are fundamentally auditory, with oral and listening traditions historically taking precedence over written ones. For generations, sonic practices of these lands—whether instrumental music, spoken literature, or various forms of improvisation—have been central to shaping societies and their worldviews. Take aitys, oen considered an early form of political debate, or küis—musical compositions for traditional instruments—many of which are believed to cure illnesses and cast out evil spirits. Honouring these practices and making room for others, the newly opened Center for Contemporary Culture will transform into a vast resonating space for sonic ceremonies, sonic rituals, sonic dialogues, sonic celebrations, sonic mournings, and sonic remedies.
Most of these practices are easy to learn but difficult to master. They are accessible to nearly everyone, regardless of special training or social status, yet, in some cases, they require a lifelong commitment. Inspired by this duality, Tselinny will also host an extensive educational program designed to engage both professional audiences and people with no prior experience in music and sound—those passionate about sonic arts but uncertain of where to begin. The program, featuring workshops, lectures, roundtables, and artist talks, will culminate in an artistic research lab—a special project closely aligned with the Triennale’s thematic pathways. The lab’s participants, selected through an open call, will be invited to critically examine the concept of musical tradition, addressing both the framing of so-called world music—othen used to exoticize and marginalize those outside established power structures—and the competitive, exploitative nature of academia, historically bound by artificial constraints (such as written notation) that have transformed what was once a sacred practice into a mere commodity.
In this sense, Rites of Eternal Wind is also a love letter to traditions that have existed for centuries outside the Western framework of music, such as Southeast Asian and Buddhist practices of sonic meditation and attentive listening, that were appropriated by North American and European avant-garde movements in the mid-20th century and presented as groundbreaking innovations at the time. They resonate alongside the ideas of Japanese Fluxus pioneers, also featured within the Triennale framework, dedicated to presence through absence, sounding through silence, the careful listening to the faintest sounds, and the exploration of sonic environments where sound is absent or even impossible.
The Wind Rises
At its core, Rites of Eternal Wind draws inspiration from the simple yet complex relationship between sound and wind, in which wind is examined as both a powerful cultural symbol and a physical element.
Understanding wind is fundamental to our understanding of acoustics. As the movement of air, it interacts with objects in the environment, causing vibrations that produce sound. In turn, sound travels through the air, setting off a chain reaction that carries its energy. This principle lies at the core of the design of many musical instruments, starting with the voice—the most primal and fundamental instrument of all—which can be amplified when spoken or sung into the wind, allowing it to carry the song. Woodwind and brass instruments, both complex and foundational (such as the Bashqort quray or the Kazakh sybyzgy), rely on the performer’s breath to create wind, which makes them resonate. Organs generate wind artificially, forcing it through pipes of varying lengths to produce sound, following the very same principle.
Some instruments, when played by a skilled performer, can mimic the sound of wind, causing pieces of wood and skin to rumble like a hurricane or strings to howl like the buran on the winter steppe—like the kobyz, a significant symbol in Kazakh culture. It is believed that the first version of this string instrument was crafted by Qorqyt Ata, a 10th-century akyn (bard-improviser), who played the kobyz not only to create beautiful music but also to ward off death. This myth is powerfully captured in the Qorqyt Ata Memorial on the banks of the Syr Darya River in Kazakhstan, near his birthplace. The Memorial also reflects the interplay between sound and wind, as one of the sculptures, designed by architect Bek Ibrayev and acoustical engineer Sovet Isatayev in 1980, evokes both the shape and the sound of the kobyz—standing eight meters tall, it harnesses the steppe wind to play an organ housed within, its forty metal pipes howling and moaning as the wind blows. This gigantic kobyz emits sound to inspire visitors, echoing the common interpretation of the myth: that Qorqyt Ata ultimately achieved immortality through his service to humanity, creating music that lived on beyond his lifetime.
Honoring the patron saint of poets and musicians in its full official title and adopting the more international spelling Korkut over the Kazakh variant Qorqyt, the Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale invites participants to critically engage with the myth, reexamining the tale of a man and his daring attempt to defy the inevitability of fate.
The Wind Howls
The desire to control the uncontrollable is deeply ingrained in human nature, reflecting our constant struggle against the unknown. This drive is evident in humanity's persistent attempts to dominate the wind, which has at times surrendered to our will.
The wind swelled the sails, driving the colonial ships forward, carrying those who saw themselves as chosen to claim distant lands, enslave and starve entire populations, and impose humiliation and suffering. Their ambitions, swi as the fiercest breeze, summoned winds of an even darker nature—fiery whirlwinds that scattered the ashes of villages reduced to rubble, along with the remains of those who dared to resist, their families consumed by flames. The survivors, cast into exile, were swept away by a new type of wind—the one that carried them to distant, foreign lands, with no hope of return. Reinforcing and normalizing the occupation, those in power disguise their neocolonial desires under the rhetoric of liberalism, continuing to subjugate the wind—today, in the name of so-called green energy—without end.
When the earth becomes a vast and lifeless desert, the mournful howl of the Eternal Wind will be the only thing that remains. But as long as we are here, just as the wind carries and amplifies voices, so too should we—even if those voices are mere whispers, forced to fade into silence.
The Wind Whispers
Rites of Eternal Wind is also an invitation. And while it is best to remain modest about the political potential of art, which cannot and should not replace direct action, the Triennale also cannot, and should not, ignore the ongoing horrors unfolding before our eyes today: wars and genocides, forced displacement and hunger, the erosion of democracy, and the rise of authoritarian oppression.
We are haunted by sounds that can no longer be heard—one might attempt to listen for the waves of seas long vanished, deserted by extractivism. We are haunted by sounds we oen ignore—the low, comforting hum of wind turbines generating clean energy on lands cleansed through genocide and forced displacement. And we will forever be haunted by sounds that cannot be silenced, no matter how hard we try—the shrieks of sirens, the cries of agony, the rattle of bullets piercing through the cold winter air.
At the very least, we invite everyone to learn how to listen attentively to the world around us and to use the space of the Triennale to reflect on how, together, we can set off a chain reaction—one that would carry our energy to build solidarity, inspire collective action, and heal.
List of participants (in alphabetical order): Yara Asmar, Nurbak Batulla, Medina Bazargali, Syrlybek Bekbotaev, Azadbek Bekchanov, Ivan Beketov, Bint Mbareh, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Cevdet Erek, Jolda, Kokonja, Lovozero, Jazgul Madazimova, Sainkho Namtchylak, Aisha Orazbayeva, Raushan Orazbayeva, Intizor Otaniyezova, Cinna Peyghamy, Samrattama, Mieko Shiomi, Şüräle, Aina Zhekebatyr + more TBA
Curators: Anuar Duisenbinov, Madina Sadybekova, Stas Sharifulla