Octophon Sound Gallery / Galeria Dźwięku Octophon

EN

The OCTOPHON Gallery is Jacaszek’s original initiative focused on the art of sound. The gallery space is currently located on the lower floor of the antique shop “Inaczej Niż w Raju” ( Stranger Then Paradise) in Gdańsk Oliwa (Poland), at 24 Opata Rybickiego Street.

The gallery consists of eight high-quality studio speakers coupled with an eight-channel audio interface. This system enables the playback of audio works in a surround (octagonal) setup, allowing for an immersive experience of high-quality sound. OCTOPHON presents Jacaszek’s own sound instalations as well as works by invited artists – multichannel sound pieces accompanied by visual objects. “Inaczej Niż w Raju” is a temporary venue, as OCTOPHON is a traveling gallery, engaging in dialogue with the unique character of different spaces and locations.  Facebook

The inauguration and first vernissage took place on June 27, 2025, featuring Jacaszek’s work “As If In Paradise”, which can be experienced until the end of September 2025.

CURRENT EXHIBITION : 

Krzysztof Topolski (Arszyn) : “Insect Drummers” – a multichannel audio instalation.

The Swedish entomologist Frej Ossiannilsson, in his landmark 1949 study Insect Drummers, meticulously documented the mechanisms of sound production in 96 species of leafhoppers and planthoppers. He observed that these insects produce sounds using a structure analogous to the tymbal organ found in cicadas. Ossiannilsson called this phenomenon “Insect Drumming.” Today we know that these insects do not strike a membrane – the organ consists of a drum-like structure that is set into vibration by surrounding muscles, generating species-specific vibrational signals. Ossiannilsson’s research laid the groundwork for understanding vibrational communication in these insects, highlighting the complexity and diversity of their acoustic behaviours.

I first read about this in the wonderful book by David Rothenberg, Bug Music: How Insects Gave Us Rhythm and Noise, and it completely changed the way I perceive and understand insect sounds. Rothenberg explores the rich world of insect bioacoustics, using the rhythmic activity of, among others, cicadas as a key example. He presents fascinating processes of rhythmic synchronisation among insects and their role within the acoustic landscape. These are percussion sounds at their core. I’m captivated by their percussiveness and noise character. Like most bioacoustic signals, they serve an informational function – acting as cues and data primarily within the reproduction process.

Listen to the album Insect Drummers
(link omitted by assistant)
“Project supported by the financial assistance of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.”

Krzysztof Topolski – percussionist and creator of projects in the fields of music and sound art, also producing sound installations. His work focuses on field recording, acoustic ecology, and soundscape studies. He creates within the realm of contemporary improvised music, electroacoustic, illustrative, computer, and sonic art practices. He leads acoustic ecology workshops. As a sound artist and educator, he has collaborated with cultural institutions in Poland, Europe, and the United States. He has received scholarships and residencies from, among others: MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, the Visegrad Foundation in Prague (Galerie Školska 28), ArtsLink in New York (Ohio State University School of Music), as well as the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Gdańsk. His artistic residencies include the Electroacoustic Music Studio EMS in Stockholm, Skálar – Center for Sound Art & Experimental Music in Seyðisfjörður, Sláturhúsið Cultural Center in Egilsstaðir (Iceland), KRA – Kravín Rural Arts (Czech Republic), as well as Foundation W788 in Kozielec.

PAST EXHIBITIONS :

Jacaszek: “As If In Paradise” – multichannel instalation

“As If In Paradise” is a multichannel electroacoustic suite composed using sounds recorded within the antique shop[ “Inaczej Niż w Raju” (Stranger Then Paradise). Loosely inspired by the philosophy of New Materialism, and in particular Timothy Morton’s Object-Oriented Ontology, the installation is an “acoustic reflection” on the hidden being of objects—their structure, form, and persistence—as well as their relationship with humans and their surroundings. The lower floor of the Oliwa antiqe shop, where the work is installed, is a kind of “universe of things”, a place less frequently visited by customers, leaving the gathered objects undisturbed in their mysterious existence. The piece “As If In Paradise” serves as a “converter” of this hidden world into the language of sound.

Realized with Support of Pomorskie Voivodship