Perceptual Geography is a solo live project by Thomas Ankersmit, commissioned by CTM in Berlin and Sonic Acts in Amsterdam, and premiered there on the GRM Acousmonium. The music is inspired by the pioneering research of - and dedicated to - American composer and installation artist Maryanne Amacher (1938-2009), and performed entirely on the Serge Modular analogue synthesizer. Ankersmit and Amacher first met in New York in 2000 and kept in touch over the following years. Her concerts and installations left a lasting impression on him, and Amacher introduced Ankersmit to the Serge synthesizer.

In Perceptual Geography, Ankersmit explores different “modes” of listening: not just which sounds are heard and when, but also how and where sounds are experienced (in the room, in the body, inside the head, far away, nearby). So-called otoacoustic emissions play a prominent role. These are sounds generated by the listener’s ears themselves, triggered by sounds Ankersmit produces, and emanating from inside the head - an overwhelmingly immersive experience that few listeners have experienced before. For each performance, Ankersmit tunes his instrument to the resonant characteristics of the performance space, so that the music activates the architecture, setting the structure in motion. In an era where seemingly, everything is consumed via screens and headphones, Perceptual Geography is a performance that can only really be experienced in the present moment and actual, physical space.