Lebanese-born artist and musician Tarek Atoui is set to transform Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall with his latest sound installation, opening on October 13 and running through April 11, 2027. Known for his experimental approach to sound, Atoui plans to turn the expansive space into an interactive environment that blends performance, improvisation, and audience participation.
Atoui’s work centers around the idea that cities and environments can be understood and “played” through their unique soundscapes. Drawing from ambient noises such as river buskers, airplane hums, and footsteps, he creates immersive experiences that challenge conventional ideas of music and listening. His previous exhibitions have featured custom-built instruments that resemble a fusion of sculpture and sound apparatus, encouraging visitors to engage directly with the artwork.
The Turbine Hall, with its characteristic echoes and unpredictable daily foot traffic, presents a distinct challenge for sound-based art. However, Atoui embraces these conditions, viewing the variability of the environment not as an obstacle but as a dimension of the creative process. He describes the project as “places for listening and playing” rather than a traditional concert or fixed musical piece, highlighting the importance of spontaneity and the communal act of creation.
Atoui’s artistic journey has been shaped significantly by his experiences beyond conventional music settings. After leaving Lebanon to study experimental music in France, he rejected the standard music industry path in favor of travel and collaboration. His influences include experimental composers like Iannis Xenakis and György Ligeti and the Fluxus movement, which embodied a spirit of boundary-pushing interdisciplinary art.
His collaborations extend worldwide, from Korean drum makers to Palestinian children in refugee camps, for whom he developed software allowing sound creation through PlayStation controllers. A key turning point was his work with students at the Amal School for the Deaf in Sharjah, UAE, where he explored low-frequency sound transmitted through the body, broadening the understanding of hearing beyond traditional means.
Atoui is also interested in how sound intersects with social and political narratives. For example, his project Waters’ Witness investigates the maritime soundscapes surrounding port cities like Istanbul and Sharjah, capturing underwater noises that record histories of conflict and everyday life.
His exhibitions function on multiple levels: the instruments themselves stand as sculptural objects when not in use, while live performances and workshops activate the space as a site of learning and communal experimentation. Central to Atoui’s practice is the audience’s role, which he sees as a collaborator rather than a passive listener. Visitors are encouraged to move freely, participate, and discover their own relationship to sound.
Through the Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, Atoui aims to encourage people to incorporate play and listening into their daily lives, creating a sonic dialogue that extends beyond the gallery walls. His work reflects a lifelong engagement with places, people, and sounds, revealing sound not only as an artistic medium but as a way of understanding and enriching human experience.