Short version 

Hardi Kurda is a sound artist, and curator of SPACE21 Sound Gallery in Slemani. His know with his interactive sound art and the concept of “found scores,”. He uses radio frequency to explore noises that may have been considered illegal, abandoned, unheard, invisible, broken, distorted, untold, forgotten, or simply noises from nowhere, without a place or destination. He connects noises deeply with audiences to create an urgent listening situation based on his listening’s experience when he illegally moved to Europe. Hardi’s work receive attentions from festivals and venues across Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa such as Another Sky Festival, Shubbak Festival, Café OTO,  (London), Sonorities Festival (Belfast), Borderline Festival (Athens), and MaerzMusik, Soundings ADK (Berlin), Nomos Museum (Gdansk), Reproduction (Goa), CHR (Cape Town) Irtijal festival (Beirut). He has been granted various residencies and grants including Beyond1932 (London),  LeGuessWho? Festival (Utrecht), Radio Art Residency (Halle, Germany), Swedish Arts Grant Committee, Melos Collective (Vilnius). His recent solo album Radiola Springs. VGR Culture Grant in Sweden described him as… “Hardi bridges diverse musical traditions with socially committed compositions that blend electro-acoustics and chamber music, enriching the classical repertoire for our times.”

Long version

Hardi Kurda is a composer, improviser, sound artist, researcher, and curator of SPACE21 Sound Gallery in Slemani. His works defy the boundaries of music and sound through his evocative interplay of suggestive, unconventional sounds, unexpected silences, and textured noise. His know with his interactive sound art including radio antenna where he explores noises that may have been considered illegal, abandoned, unheard, invisible, broken, distorted, untold, forgotten, or simply noises from nowhere, without a place or destination. Through using radio frequencies as sound material, Hardi bridges the physical and metaphysical, turning ephemeral signals into interactive performances that connect deeply with audiences to create an urgent listening situation that he developed based his listening’s experience when he moved illegally to Europe. His practice spans classical acoustic composition, electronic music, and interdisciplinary pieces where sound merges with other art forms to create transformative listening experiences. Hardi developed the concept of “found scores,” an immersive listening experiences that challenge how to listen through touch, smell and taste, invite audiences to experience sound beyond conventional notation.

Hardi received commissions from Another Sky Festival, Shubbak Festival (London), Sonorities Festival (Belfast), Borderline Festival (Athens), and MaerzMusik at the Berliner Festspiele for Adapter Ensemble. He received awards and commissions from AFAC, the Arab Fund for Art and Culture, and his interactive sound archive project (Archive Khanah) Sounds recorded in Kurdistan and Iraq. Brent Council London. The Society for Swedish Composers. The Department of Public Art (Gothenburg), the Swedish Art Council, the Goethe Institute, and the Vastra Gotaland Region Culture Prize.

Hardi was granted the first artist residency scholarship from the Beyond1932 project from Kings College (London) where he presented his archive project (Archive Khanah). Residency in Goa with Reproduction in collaboration with LeGuesWho? in Utrecht. He was the fifth scholarship holder of the Radio Art Residency in Halle, Germany, where he created two experimental radio performances based on his illegal journey to Europe that revolved around illegality and the construction of legality. The radio programmes broadcasted on Radio Corax, Shift FM, Deutschland funk Hörspielmagazin, WaveFarm, generation FM, and the live performance on Gallery Blech. He develops the project on illegality in a residency with Melos Collective in (Vilnius). He received the residency programme from the Swedish Artist grant committee to compose the piece for Ensemble Recherche (Freiburg). He created eight radio programme for Stegi Radio (movement radio) explored the noises from Slemani.

Hardi performed at the the Soundings Conference ADK (Berlin), Café OTO, IKLECTIK Art Lab (London), Nomos Museum (Gdansk), Irtijal festival (Beirut), Centre for Humanities Research (Cape Town) and the Crater Project (Santa Cruz de La Palma), Breach festival (Nicosia), and Reproduction (Goa), the radio Middle East PhoNographic Morning, Game Piece for Zurna at the Showroom (London). 

As the founder and curator of SPACE21 Sound Gallery, Hardi has transformed the Kurdistan Region and across the country into a hub for sound art and experimental music since 2017, organising festivals, archive projects, workshops, research projects, Label and publications and networking with the international festivals, organisations and venues. SPACE21 is a partner with Sonorities Festival in Belfast, Irtijal in Beirut, Breach in Nicosia, LeGuesWho? in Utrecht and Listening Biennial. 

Hardi is a co-founder of Duo Moment and released albums “Broken Resonance” and “Illegal Performance”. His solo album Radiola Springs which broadcasted on WaveFarm radio programme show, further exemplifies his exploration of the sonic frontier. 

Hardi was a visiting lecturer at the University of Winchester in 2023, Hardi delves into Interaction Design, questioning the role of art in social environments and redefining perspectives on listening. Article about his Album, Radiola Springs on Navel-Gazers, And his performance on Another Sky by The Wire. Interview about Listening in a Time of Crisis on Open Works journal Columbia University. A chapter of the book Sound Practices in the Global South, an article about his archive project on The Markaz Review. 

Official website visit, hardikurda.com

Hardi’s scores/works registered and published at STIM click here

Email: info[at]hardikurda.com or hardi.kurda[at]gmail.com