“In a traditional concert, sounds move and the audience remains seated”
In “Symphony for 20 rooms”,
The sounds move, the audience also moves.
In my “Omnibus music No.1 (1961),
sounds sit down, the audience visits them.
In “Exposition of Music,
sounds sit, the audience plays with or attacks them.
In “Moving theatre’ in the street,
sounds move in the street and the audience encounters them “unexpectedly” in the street.
– From Nam June Paik’s “New ontology of music” –

Over Music is an experimental music festival exploring a notion of the “ontology of music” that breaks the boundaries between sound performances and the audience. The program is an extension of the exploration of avant-garde music practiced by Nam June Paik and shared with John Cage and Karl-Heinz Stockhausen, as well as a reinterpretation of Nam June Paik as a composer who mixed performance and music.

Nam June Paik’s performances and happenings blurred the boundaries between musician, composer and audience thus transcending traditional art and sound practices to offer a ‘surprise’ experience. Over Music focuses on Nam June Paik’s new approach to arts and sound as well as role in Fluxus music. The program is not simply a celebration of Nam June Paik’s pioneering interest in experimental sound art. In addition it will aim to further develop accompanying theoretical events along with performances based on thorough research of Nam June Paik, music history and theory.

Over Music is a monthly program introducing contemporary experimental sound, music and media performances held every last Saturday of the month at Nam June Paik Art Center. The program takes as a reference point Nam June Paik’s early career as a composer to explore his relationship to music and recontextualize his work within contemporary music practice.

For the next few months, the Nam June Paik Art Center will focus on Nam June Paik’s relationship to Fluxus music and experimental new music. On September 26th, Sukhee Kang, renowned Korean contemporary music compose and also Nam June Paik’s life-long friend will give a lecture titled “From Dada to N대-dada in Music”.

Before the lecture, three Gayageum players will perform 3 pieces : a music piece by Miri Kim, Nirmanakaya composed by Sukhee Kang as a homage to Nam June Paik, and a Gayageum performance (Gayageum is a Korean tradition instrument with 12 strings) originally performed by Byunggi Hwang and Charlotte Moorman. The lecture will offer an opportunity to discuss western music history in relation to Nam June Paik’s music. The Gayageum performance will be a unique experience to witness modern music played on a traditional Korean instrument.

6:00 Performance : Gayagum Trio (Suhyun Cho, Hyosung Cho, Jinkyung Kim
7:00 Lecture – From DADA to NEO DADA in Music – Sukhee Kang
8:00 Q&A