cosmopoling

is a new sonic bike ride made for Augsburg, Bavaria with residents and sounds of the city. Made by Kaffe Matthews and the Bicrophonic Research Institute it was commissioned by the Stadt Augsburg for Risking Peace, 375 year Peace Festival/Friedensfest,  artistic director Eric Nikodym,  June 2025

 

Through winter city recording trips in 2024 and then a two month residency during ’25 at Grandhotel Cosmopolis, Kaffe gradually explored the city through meeting, talking and getting to know many different people from all over the world. Sharing stories, playing music, at jams in the Grandhotel or at Neruda bar,  through interviews, the GHC choir rehearsals, vegan cooking, developing barista skills in the café , through late night walking in the watery silence of the old town, following audio trails that opened, listening and recording throughout. She also discovered a massive variety in the city’s sound worlds, from the almost silence and detailed acoustics of its pedestrian areas, to peaks of noise from people, trams, heels, traffic, cobbles, many many languages.  Also finding old vinyl from Augsburg bands and meeting musicians who wrote for or gave their music to the project.

This vast range of material she then cut, transformed and mapped in layered chunks all
over Augsburg, working with its atmospheres, architectures, so evolving cosmopolis. A
composition that is performed by you,  the cyclist as you ride a sonic bike through the city.
That will trigger and play these sounds through the bike’s speakers dependent on where
you go. Enabled by the Bicrophonic Bike Box on the back, with the sounds and GPS
trigger system inside, you are free of the internet. No more concert halls.

With thanks to musicians Chelle, her Mum and Dejah for their songs and voices,

the Jammers and Choir at Grandhotel Cosmopolis,

Vroni her flute and Manu her saw,

to Ayla, Maryam, Fatima and Shakila and the night of clapping and singing in our kitchen.

the musicians at Neruda, especially the Lonesome Artisans and the rapper poets Johna Lux and Torris.

Hannes, Sedat and Dennis for their tracks, and the not met but found Fred Rai and Neverland LP’s in the made in Augsburg box.

To Chris for our sick city bike tour in the wet and the city’s construction project talks.
To Hannes and all at stayfm Radio for their studio  with sublime Dom view in the spring and to Mariam for hers in the boiling heat of June.

To Aude-Lise, Salomé, Khalid, Vroni, Sanusi, Klaus, Shakila, Chelle, Zhia, Dejah and Manu for sharing their stories.

To Günther and Bike Kitchen for the 5 Augsburg bikes, and to Annegret and the Kunstmuseum, Magdeburg, for the loan of the 5 black Sonic Bikes.

To Sukandar Kartadinata BRI for Sonic Bike Box v3.0 engineering

PoHao Chi and Honki, Taipei for their efforts on the Taiwanese version.

and to Wolfgang at Grandhotel for generous analogue fixing support.

The team and volunteers at Grandhotel Cosmopolis for their welcome, support and trust. Most especially: Raquel, Raphaelle, Salomé, Aude-Lise, Ziha, Ralph, Sonja and Fabiano.

And finally to the Friedensfest team, most especially the non stop Kathrin Schubert and artistic director Eric Nikodym