MODULAR ORGAN

The Philara Collection, in cooperation with the 20th annual IDO festival (lnternational Düsseldorf Organ Festival), is delighted to open MODULAR ORGAN, an exhibition by Phillip Sollmann and Konrad Sprenger. To mark this anniversary, for three months, Modular Organ System, an immersive, walk-through sound installation, will transform the former glassworks into a resonant space.

MODULAR ORGAN transcends the rigid categories of musical instrument or sculpture: it is neither a classic organ nor simply an adaptation of one, but rather a state of tonal intensification, spatial tension and physical experience.

The installation is composed of various elements, including organ pipes and wind-activated resonators such as fibreglass funnels, as well as modular sound generators, which all operate unconfined by the casing of a classic instrument. Here, notes are not merely played: instead, sound is produced in and with the space, creating an individual, physically experiential event.

What initially seems reminiscent of organ notes transmutes into a sustained experience of fluctuating intensity. Microvariations, static fields, profound resonances, superimposed frequencies, and overtone colouration create a sound milieu that cannot be experienced from a distance – it demands physical closeness and movement. The sound source is indeterminate and often invisible. The sonic characteristics of the instrument stem from various eras, techniques, and ways of thinking, thus precluding any rigid categorisation as old or new, mechanical or electronic.

Sollmann and Sprenger regard Modular Organ System as an open instrument, defined by a process of continual development. Since 2017, the work has evolved through collaborations with experts in organ building, electroacoustic music, architecture, and sound design. These Berlin-based musicians and artists have so far presented iterations of the work at various institutions and events, including STUK, Leuven (2022), Callie’s, Berlin (2021), the Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover (2017), the Peter und Irene Ludwig Stiftung, Aachen (2018), the Meakusma Festival, Eupen (2018), and the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2020). 

Phillip Sollmann (b. 1974 in Kassel) is an artist and composer. Using the alias Efdemin, he is one of the resident DJs at Berghain, Berlin. He has released several albums on various labels.

Joerg Hiller (b. 1977 in Lahr) performs as artist, composer and music producer under the pseudonym Konrad Sprenger. Sprenger has collaborated for many years with Arnold Dreyblatt, Ellen Fullman, Oren Ambarchi, and well-known bands such as Ethnostress, Rom and Ei, as well as the Honey-Suckle Company art collective.

Since it began in 2006, the IDO Festival has developed into a major cultural event, well-known far beyond Düsseldorf, and now attracts more than 10,000 visitors annually. Each year, from the end of September to the beginning of November, it offers a programme of more than 50 events. The aim of the festival is to introduce the organ in all its diversity across a broad spectrum of musical contexts to a curious and enthusiastic audience. Düsseldorf boasts around 200 concert-quality organs – high-value instruments that meet the most exacting artistic standards.

In parallel with MODULAR ORGAN, the Philara Collection is presenting TRÄUME, TRICHTER & TRICKSEREIEN, a solo exhibition by Anton Henning, as well as MELTING SANDS, a group exhibition on glass in contemporary art. In addition, concert events in conjunction with the IDO Festival are planned. For programme information please see www.philara.de.

Concert: Jessica Ekomane, 6.12.2025, 8 pm

Closing: 24.1.2026, 5.30 pm: Artist talk at the Philara Collection, followed by an Organ Evening in St. Antonius Church, Oberkassel from 8 pm, with Ellen Arkbro, Hanne Lippard, Hampus Lindwall, among others (presented by St. Antonius, IDO-Festival, Julia Stoschek Collection and the Philara Collection).

The MODULAR ORGAN project is supported by the Aventis Foundation, the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Rheinland, and the Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung.

Exhibition curators: Julika Bosch, Vincent Stange, Hannah Niemeier