Oliver Blank is a composer. He builds sound toys, creates public installations and composes symphonic cinematic music. Oliver’s sound toys and public installations empower residents to connect with sound and create surprising experiences that bring a sense of wonder back to their city.
Oliver can currently be found in New Orleans as part of the team at Civic Center. He is a graduate of Goldsmiths College’s Master of Music programme, and likes to call Helsinki home.
It’s never too late to find new heroes. Oliver Blank is now one of them.
De:Bug Magazine
Most marvelous. Melancholy, haunting and delicious.
Stephen Fry
Exhibitions, Works & Performances
Oliver’s music and installations have been featured at a variety of exhibitions and festivals around the world, including London’s Design Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Gallery, and Helsinki’s Taidehalli.
The Bureau of Manufactured History
Storytelling and sound, collaboration with James A. Reeves
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 2013
Artist-in-Residence
We Are City Import Program
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 2013
Pyramid
Live performance at Daniel Canogar exhibition opening
Museum of Contemporary Art, A Coruña, Spain, 2012
Artist-in-Residence
Museum of Contemporary Art
A Coruña, Spain, 2012
Play, Perspective & Sound
Talk at We Are City Summit
Harrison Center, Indianapolis, USA, 2012
Sampsa & The Swan
Music for Tracey Moberly’s Tweet Me Up
Tate Modern, The Tanks, London, England, 2012
Confessional Music
Soundtrack and ambient installation for Candy Chang’s Confessions
Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, USA, 2012
TateShots: Michael Craig-Martin – Educating Damien
Soundtrack for short film
Tate Modern, 2012
Kiosk: Space on Basic.fm
Radio program
Basic.fm, 2012
Second Story at TEDxPortland
Soundtrack for installation film
Secondstory.com, 2012
Moon Valley Organics
Soundtrack for advertisement
Farmrun.com, 2012
The Oregon Coast
Soundtrack for short film
Kinfolk, 2012
60,000,000 to 1
Multi-channel generative sound installation
Shush, Helsinki, Finland, 2011
CloqWork
Generative sound toy, created with Akio Nagano
iPhone and iPad, 2011
Häiti Chérie
Soundtrack for short film by Sasha Huber
Kluuvi Gallery, Helsinki, Finland, 2011
Kinfolk Vol. 1
Soundtrack for preview of Kinfolk Volume 1
Tiger in a Jar, Distributed Online, 2011
I LOVE JaNY
Soundtrack for short film by Sasha Huber
Alice in Wonderland Exhibition, Turku European Capital of Culture 2011, Turku, Finland, 2011
Balloon Diaspora & Balloon Suite
Soundtrack for experimental game by Jake Elliott
Cardboard Computer, 2011
Koenji Cyclist
Soundtrack for short film by Jonathan Ben-Ami
Distributed online, 2010
I LOVE JaNY
Soundtrack for short film by Sasha Huber
Taidehalli Studio, Helsinki, Finland, 2010
Kiosk
Documentary Radio Series
Basso Radio, Finland, 2010
Cope
Soundtrack to dance performance by Päivi Vettenranta
Vertical Exile, Stockholm, Sweden, 2010
Hello, Can I Take Your Picture?
Soundtrack for short film by Jonna Uhrman
Tama University, Tokyo, Japan, 2010
Society 6 Minute
Soundtrack for short film by Oh Yeah Studio and James Martin
Society6.com, 2010
Cope
Soundtrack to dance performance by Päivi Vettenranta and Nadja Pärssinen
Human Culture, Imatra, Finland, 2010
The Art of Building an Album as an App
Article by Jemima Kiss
The Guardian, 2010
A Tool Through Which To Experience The City / The Tool
Mobile Installation and App (iPhone and Android devices)
RjDj, 2010
Audiovisual Performance
CocoSolidCiti event, Montreal, Canada, 2010
Karhunpeijaiset
Soundtrack for short film by James Martin and Jonathan Ben-Ami
CocoSolidCiti, 2010
Karhu ja Tiikerini
Album
CocoSolidCiti, 2010
Minimal Bling
iRedux Generated Digital Album (with Geraldine Juárez)
Free Art and Technology Lab, 2009
iRedux
Software Art
Distributed online, 2009
Fabrikan
Soundtrack for short film by Roma Levin
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, 2008
Plug
Soundtrack for short film by &Made and Roma Levin
Great Brits: Ingenious Therapies, Milan, Italy, 2007
Habitat
Public sound installation
NIME, Genoa, Italy 2008
Hospitality
Immersive sound installation with Jeremy Keenan
Shunt Lounge, London, UK, 2007
Telescope: In My Tight Socks, A Sky And Transparent Moon In Constant Eclipse
Performance soundtrack with Jeremy Keenan
The Green Rom, Manchester, UK, 2007
iRedux
Live performance
Mind on Fire, Manchgester UK, 2007
Live performance
Futuresonic, Manchester, UK, 2007
Climatized Objects
Soundtracks for short films by &Made and Roma Levin
The Design Museum, London, UK, 2006
Climatized Objects
Soundtracks for short films by &Made and Roma Levin
Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan, Italy, 2006
Live performance
Commonwealth Film Festival, Manchester, UK, 2006
Little Mistakes
EP
Hippocamp, www.Hippocamp.net, 2006
PostVinyl
Live performance with Mathias Fuchs
Media Terra, Athens, Greece, 2006
PostVinyl
Live performance with Mathias Fuchs and Andrew Odia
ResFest, Vienna, Austria, 2005
Playing with Sound
Essay on sound toys
Kunstforum, 2005
Visual Credits
Oliver’s karhu Finnish bear symbol was created by Mikko Walamies. The photograph of Oliver is courtesy of Helsingin Sanomat and taken by Veikko Kähkönen. Oliver designed and built this website and was behind much of the artwork too. Find more of Oliver’s design at Civic Center.
