Phasen einer Klärung
Wastewater treatment plants are essential components of our infrastructure, yet they are often located on the outskirts of or far from populated areas. Frequently overlooked or stigmatized, they perform system-critical functions in the daily cycle of human life.
For the composition Phasen einer Klärung (engl: Phases of a Purification), I listened to the Bergheim-Kenten wastewater treatment plant, recording the rhythms and sounds of the operational areas and water cycles. For the concert, I combine the intimate acoustics and kinetics of this water infrastructure with the soprano voice of Hannah Otto. The cyclical processes—rising and falling, pauses, periods of rest, followed once again by mechanical friction, reaction, and counter-reaction—are interpreted musically.
The performance draws attention to the fragile system of the wastewater treatment plant: a finely tuned flow of withdrawals, additions, and the interplay of biological, microbial, and mechanical influences.
Live Electronics and Soprano Voice
01 August 2026
Klärwerk Bergheim-Kenten
Commissioned by
Muschelblume & Blei by Kollektiv am angegebenen Ort (Anna Schütten & Kriz Olbricht)
Composition
Nathalie Brum
Soprano Voice
Hannah Otto
all photographs by Marie Stadelmann