HERFORD.- Let's make some noise! Once again, Marta Herford is tuning in to current trends and tendencies in art, and has realized a unique exhibition about the fascinating power of mobile sound systems. Since the start of the industrial revolution the mobilization of sound has served increasingly as a booster of social changes worldwide: the democratization of high culture came about due to the invention of the barrel organ, the dissemination of trends in popular culture due to the ghetto blaster, and strategic warfare can thank mobile sound systems for ever more effective and perfidious ways of attacking the enemy.

In the museum Marta Herford the visitor will encounter a 7-metre organ of steel tubes, a gigantic sound wall, a small case with a gramophone funnel, playing a gentle lullaby. The exhibition pieces, which give us an insight into the approach to mobile sound from an artistic point of view, are as diverse as the subject itself. Artists such as Lothar Baumgarten, Tamara Grcic, Mark Leckey or Tom Sachs, along with numerous artists of the younger generation, have contributed works.

The steel tubes of the organ from Massimo Bartolini are built up like a construction scaffold, Nik Nowak's Sound Tank has enormous sculptural power, Janet Cardiff sings an eternal traveller back to the emotional homeland, and the artist group AUDINT engages cryptically with theme of acoustic warfare, making it palpable in the truest sense of the word. Several interactive sculptures, as well as listening stations, films and a lot of bling are the ingredients for an exhibition which captivates all of the senses and sets the whole museum vibrating.

The choice of artists came down to 47, most of whom enjoy international acclaim, but there are also some individualists or representatives of what is known as "Outsider Art". The historical reference points also include the names of the greats: they are represented on discovery islands with abundant documentation material in clay, painting and writing.

Proceeding from an idea of the artist Nik Nowak and in cooperation with him, the Marta Team has brought together spectacular sound objects from all over the world. The exhibits have travelled from China, Korea, Colombia, the USA, and from all over Europe to unfold their impressive effect in the Marta Herford. In the special combination of sculpture, movement and music, the exhibition traces the global roots of mobile sound systems.