Music from Kiruna’s Clock Tower Reaches Amsterdam

A research project at the School of Music in Piteå is enabling residents of Kiruna to experience a unique concert at Stadshustorget on 24 September. On that day, Kiruna’s clock tower, with its 23 bells, will ring simultaneously in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Piteå. Four musicians will then perform on the clock tower using digitally controlled instruments from Kiruna, Piteå, Stockholm and Amsterdam.

“The bell tower at the Town Hall is a resonant landmark in the city, and it feels both exciting and rewarding to be able to sonify the square for an hour. We’ve been working for a year and a half on a research project exploring Kiruna’s soundscapes,” says Stefan Östersjö, Professor of Musical Performance at the School of Music in Piteå, part of Luleå University of Technology.

The event is part of the research project Sounding Urban Places, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and BTC ENUTC, which supports research and innovation initiatives where art and design serve as tools for urban transformation. The lead institution for the project is the School of Music in Piteå at Luleå University of Technology.

“In this project, we explore the experience of sound in urban environments and how artistic methods can help amplify the individual citizen’s perception of sound. This has potential political implications for urban planning. Our ambition is to further develop the project in Kiruna in collaboration with other stakeholders, such as mining companies, the municipality, and cultural organisations,” says Stefan Östersjö.

He explains that the team has met many Kiruna residents and listened to their stories about the city’s soundscape, where the clock tower plays a central role. Previously located on the roof of the old Town Hall, the tower was relocated eight years ago to the new Town Hall and city centre. Kiruna’s clock tower stands 26 metres tall atop a 7-metre base. The 23 bells are accompanied by poems written by Björn Erik Höjjer—short narratives about the people who helped shape old Kiruna. The seven largest bells have these poems engraved. Artist Bror Marklund created a sculptural installation within the tower, featuring figures rooted in local heritage.

The quartet performing the Clock Tower Concert will play together remotely, using sensors that transmit motion data and the MIDI communication system, which allows electronic instruments, computers, and devices to interact via data. This part of the work is part of another research project funded by the Swedish Research Council, focusing on the artistic possibilities of remote collaboration.

The quartet includes guitarist Stefan Östersjö in Kiruna, clarinettist Robert Ek at Studio Acusticum in Piteå, Mattias Petersson playing modular synths at the R1 Reactor at KTH in Stockholm, and Federico Visi performing on the string instrument Sophtar at Orgelpark in Amsterdam.

The concert is one of the activities leading up to Kiruna’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2029.