Alfredo Costa Monteiro

costamonteiro[at]yahoo[dot]fr

bio

about

 

 

Born in 1964 in Porto (Portugal)
Lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.
He studied sculpture/installation at the fine art school in Paris with Christian Boltanski.
In 1992, he moved to Barcelona. Since then, his work stands somewhere between visual arts, visual poetry and sound. His installations and sound pieces, all of a low-fi character, have in common an interest for unstable processes, raw materials and gestures, where the manipulation of objects as instruments or instruments as objects has a strong phenomenological aspect.
He has been working since 1995 in various projects of sound art, improvised and experimental music, using each time a different instrumentation  in order to give these projects multiple identities and directions.
In sound poetry, his work focuses on the musicality of language, creating multiple meanings that often lead to confusion and defy understanding. He performs in solo polyglot and noise pieces ( portuguese, french, catalan  and spanish), where sound establishes a different semantics.
From 1998 to 2006, he was member of Espai 22a, an independent collective for contemporary art.

From 2001 to 2006, he was also member of IBA col.lectiu d’improvisació. Co-organizer of the festivals Improvisa , L’ESPAI de Música i Dansa, Barcelona from 2000 to 2003 and Mínim , Can Felipa, Barcelona from 2003 to 2009.
From 1995 to 2001, he was member of Superelvis, one of major groups of spanish underground.
He has given workshops in In Situ, Sokolowsko (Poland), Hangar (Barcelona, Spain), ESDI (Barcelona, Spain), Janácek Academy of Music and Performing Arts (Brno, Czech Republic), Arteleku (San Sebastián, Spain), Facultad de Bellas Artes, (Pontevedra, Spain), ESAD (Caldas da Rainha, Portugal), Crossroads during John Cage’s Year, (Lublin, Poland) among others.
He has shown his work in Europe, the U.S., Canada and Japan .

 

sound for videos & films


 

archives of change  by Catarina Simão, 2024

el océano análogo  by Luis Macias, 2022

you never enjoy any sleep  by Dionis Escorsa, 2018

visión intertropical  by Adriana Vila Guevara, 2015

the kiss  by Luis Macias, 2015

effects of wording  by Catarina Simão, 2015

treblinka  by Sergio Tréfaut, 2015

by Dionis Escorsa, 2013

lo jardí de les rahons perdudes  by Daniel B. Farré, 2010

the eye of night  by Elena Ferrer, 2010

tu  by Leos Ator, 2010

aurea naturalis  in collaboration with Stéphane Tesson , 2009

dependencias  by Eulàlia Valldosera, 2009

la poca casa  by Dionís Escorsa and Daniel B. Farré, 2008

 

 

selected and most relevant events & exhibitions


 

 

2023

premiere of Disrupció with Luis Macías
a piece for live electro-acoustics, 16mm and modified slide projectors
Flux festival de vídeo d’autor, Barcelona

premiere of Fragments d’Oblit,
a commissioned piece by Museu de la música,  Barcelona

premiere of Peça sense mi
by Constanza Brnčić, Mercat de les flors, Barcelona

collaboration and spanish tour with Bertrand Denzler
Madrid, Córdoba, Jerez de la Frontera, Sevilla and Barcelona

sound for No puedo ver el sexto sol and  Spectral landscape, two expanded cinema pieces by Luis Macías
Oberhausen film festival , Oberhausen

Registres evanescents, a  choreography by Constanza Brnčić
L’Auditori , Barcelona

 

2022

premiere of Registres evanescents, a choreography by Constanza Brnčić
Museu de la música, Barcelona

premiere of Una línea infinita desdibujando el tiempo
an expanded cinema piece with Luis Macias
¡Alud! Primer Festival de procesos analógicos y afines
Hangar, Barcelona

 

2021

creation of Mont Efímerlimited handmade self-published sound and visual poetry editions

lecture/concert ojects as instruments
Museu de la musica, Barcelona
curated by Jordi Alomar

premiere of Shockwave a solo for electro-acoustic devices
 at Centre d’art la Panera, Lleida
curated by Eufònic Festival

premiere of the radio pieces Fragments Of An Unfinished Tale (A cinematic story), Après la nuit and Esbozo para una constelación
in a cinematic version at ZumZeig Cinema, Barcelona

en-lloc, a concert/installation
Eufònic Festival, Arts Santa Mònica, Barcelona

premiere of “Exploration # 7 //  A sun yet to come”
an expanded cinema piece with Luis Macias,
curated by
Crater-Lab, at Hangar, Barcelona

spanish premiere of In Order to Avoid Disorder
L’Auditori, Barcelona

 

2020

premiere of esquisse pour une constellation, a radio piece commissioned by ensemble 0 (for radio)
la nuit couchée, online version

 

2019

presentation of Anéis de fogo
a live electro-acoustic solo

Teatro de Bairro Alto, Lisboa
curated by Diana Combo

première of desde el subtierro, an expanded film by Adriana Vila Guevara
l’Alternativa festival, Barcelona

accordion solo at Garage Museum Library, Garage Museum, Moscow
part of Quiet, please: Contemporary Music Concerts at Garage Library series
curated by Yury Yurkin

screening of fragmentos de un cuento inacabado (una historia de cine)
and two sound workshops
notas para una partitura urbana and deconstrucción: genealogía de una banda sonora
zineleku, vitoria

curated by Ricardo del Conde and Garbiñe Ortega

llumm residency at GMEA, albi

part of the sound poetry exhibition
sonhoras, exposició de poesia tipogràfica, arts santa mònica, barcelona
curated by sonhoras,

premiere of el sexto sol, an expanded cinema piece by luis macias
performed with luis macias, xavier querel and miguel puertas
festival punto de vista, , planetario, pamplona

premiere of après la nuit, a radio piece commissioned by ensemble 0 (for radio)
la nuit couchée, centre pompidou, metz

live sound for no puedo ver el sexto sol,
an expanded cinematic piece by luis macías
la mirada eléctrica, cineteca, madrid

live sound for spectral landscape,
an expanded cinematic piece by luis macías
rotterdam film festival, worm, rotterdam

 

2018

part of Escuchar con los ojos – Arte sonoro en España, 1961-2016
with cwacs, a sound installation from 2000
museo tamayo , méxico ciudad
curated by josé luis maire and josé iges.

electro-acoustic solo
festival semibreve , braga
curated by luis fernandes

premiere of in order to avoid disorder for instruments and chance
a graphic score commissionned by gmea
festival riverrun , gmea, albi
commissioned by GMEA and curated by didier aschour

 

2017

part of the portuguese experimental poetry archive PO.EX 

Fragments of An Unfinished Tale (A Cinematic Story)
won the Palma Ars Acustica prize

première of Wandering star
for electronics, recorded and live percussion
live percussion by luis tabuenca
Art’s Birthday caixa fòrum, barcelona
commissioned by catalunya radio
curated by pilar subirà

premiere of fragments d’un récit inachevé (une histoire de cinéma)
a sound collage of cinema soundtracks
during la nuit # couchée, at la centrifugeuse , pau, france
commissioned by stéphane garin from 0 (for radio)

residency with 300 basses
at gmea, albi
curated by didier aschour

 

2016

even silence is cause of storm
an expanded cinema piece + live sound
with adriana vilal and luis macias
mono no aware festival, new york
curated by steve cossman

collective sound art exhibition
Escuchar con los ojos – Arte sonoro en España, 1961-2016
with cwacs, a sound installation from 2000
fundación juan march , madrid
curated by josé luis maire and josé iges.

28th: premiere of incluso el silencio es causa de tormenta
sala hiroshima, in loop festival, barcelona
curated by carolina ciuti

premiere of hèlix an electro-acoustic solo
in macba es viu series
macba, barcelona
curated by alicia escobio

 

2015

edition of anima
box containing a visual and sound poem in portuguese, french and spanish +cd
released by lenka lente editions
curated by guillaume belhomme

poetry reading at cipM , marseille
curated by clara de asis

 

2014

a selfless self in the nightless night; disembodied voices & imaginary friends
a collective listening session
curated by margit sade lehni
organized by bar at espacio práctico, barcelona

sound for the kiss, an experimental short movie by luis macías
presentation at
l’alternativa, 21 festival de cinema independent, barcelona

dépli
a sound and visual poem edited as a book-object (text + mini cd)
by french publisher po&psy
curated by danièle faugeras

 

2013

residency at Q02, brussels

mex festival, dortmund
curated by maija julius

uma palavra ressoante, poetry lecture at warsaw university
curated by josé carlos dias

quiet fields on the way from work, collective sound exhibition, skolska gallery, prague
curated by ivan palacky

les actes en silence, multi-performance festival, les grands terrains, marseille
curated by mireille batby

 

2012

interpretation of Cartridge Music by John Cage
interpreted with Lali Barrière, Juan Matos Capote, Nuno Rebelo and Ferran Fages, Santa Mònica , Barcelona
curated by Lluis Nacenta

premiere of insula, an octophonic piece for electric organ, performed with the game of life foundation‘s spatialization system, a sound system of 192 speakers and 12 subwoofers and using the wave field synthesis technique.
fabra i coats, barcelona
commissioned and curated by l’ull cec

interpretation and recording of Cartridge Music, by John Cage.
with Stephen Cornford, Rob Curgenven, Ferran Fages, Patrick Farmer, Daniel Jones and Lee Patterson.
Oxford Brookes University

curated by Stephen Cornford

limbo, sound installation for stuffinablank , a virtual collective exhibition
curated by Pedro Torres

 

2011

premiere of poussière de voûte, an 8 channel acousmatic piece for paper, l’audible festival, Paris
curated by Jérôme Noetinger

sound collaboration with Arno Calleja (text) on a video by Fabien Giraud and Raphaël Siboni, festival actoral, Marseille

residency at l’Arc, Romainmôtier, Lausanne

masterclass improvising composing at janácek academy of music and performing arts , brno
curated by ivan palacky

2010

a rumour from the under void, outdoors sound piece for headphones, Parkowanie festival, Gdansk
curated by Marcin Dymiter

sound for experimental documentary Lo Jardí de les rahons perdudes, by Daniel B. Farré, wins IV prize Romá Gubern for cinema-essay, 2011

residency at QO-2, brussels

 

2009

Sideratio. (collaboration with Stéphane Tesson). Flux. Festival de video d’autor, Santa Mònica. Barcelona.
curated by Habitual team video.

 

2008

Collective interpretation of graphic scores by Robert Ashley, Eugenia Balcells, Annea Lockwood, Marina Rosenfeld, Lee Ranaldo, Walter Marchetti
MACBA, Barcelona
curated by Barbara Held

 

2007

Ça doit être ennuyeux pour toi. (with the collective label.m.) residency at Les bancs publics. Marseille. sound theatre
curated by Les banc publics

Meditations for Orchestra, by Pauline Oliveiros. Miscelänea, Barcelona
curated by Christopher Williams

 

2006

La métamorphose du plongeon. (collaboration with the collective label.m). L’Usine. Saint-Etienne. exhibition / sound theatre

sound poetry residency with Leos Ator at GRIM, Marseille

 

2005

Línia de fuga. Lainteriorbodega. Barcelona. individual exhibition
Sound and me. Santa Monica. Barcelona. collective exhibition
curated by Oscar Abril Ascaso
Lladres de Cossos. Metrònom. Barcelona. collective exhibition
curated by espai 22a
Biblio/teca/u.tòpic-a/05. Biblioteca Jaume Fuster. Barcelona. collective exhibition

premiere of noise is the message, a collection of sound poems with Leos Ator, cipM, Marseille

 

2004

Topophonie. Sala H. Vic. individual exhibition
curated by Jordi Canudas

 

2003

Recol.leccions. Sala H, Vic. individual exhibition
curated by Jordi Canudas
Exploracions. La Capella, Barcelona. collective exhibition
curated by Manuel Olveira

 

2001

Résidus. Galerie de la Friche. Marseille. residency and individual exhibition
Les enfants des bonfils. VAC, Ventabren. Marseille. collective exhibition
Dissuadint la memòria. Can Felipa, Barcelona. collective exhibition
Talgo. Nouvelle Galerie. Grenoble. collective exhibition
Les Routards. Can Felipa, Barcelona. collective exhibition
Off-site. Espai 22a, Barcelona. collective exhibition

residency at Hangar, Barcelona

 

2000

La Très Grande Encyclopédie du Corps. Institut Français. Barcelona.
individual exhibition
Zeppelin 00. Centro de Cultura Contemporanea. (CCCB). Barcelona.
collective exhibition
curated by Osacr Abril Ascaso

 

1999

15 parasitages. Batofar. Paris. residency and individual exhibition

 

1998

Visto desde aquí, parece una exposición. With Art Larson. galeria Carles Poy. Barcelona

 

1997

Caws. Espai 22a. Barcelona. individual exhibition

 

1996

XVI Premis Nacionals d’ Arts Plastiques. museu Salvador Vilaseca. Reus. collective exhibition

 

1995

Sobre las Ruinas. Pati Llimona. Barcelona. individual exhibition
curated by Jeffrey Swartz

 

 

poetry publications


Noema. Self-publication. Printed by Oeil de Lynx. Paris. 2018
Anima. Lenka Lente. Montpellier. 2016
Aspis. Geraeuschmanufaktur. Osnabrück. 2014
Dépli. Po&Psy. Montpellier. 2014
Axiomáticas. F30km/s. Barcelona. 2005
Le Cahier du Refuge. Nº 144. cipM. Marseille. 2005
Lo que no somos, lo que no queremos. Collaboration with Juan Carlos Meana. Gallery Bacelos. Vigo. 2004
Action Poétique nº162. Editions Farrago. Paris. 2002
Full nº16. International research & poetics. RSalvo Edicions. Barcelona. 1996