Florian Zwissler: Harald Bode – Instrument to Studio

Harald Bode (1909–1987) was a German engineer and pioneer of electronic musical instruments whose many inventions had a significant impact on electronic music.
His extensive archive with numerous notes, construction plans, circuit diagrams and prototype documentation has been part of the ZKM since 2019. Based on this archive, the SYNTH-Werk Munich, the ZKM | Karlsruhe and the HfM | Karlsruhe University of Music have reconstructed Bode's last completed instrument, the so-called Barberpole Phaser, an effects device that was only built three times. It is now available to a wider audience and can be used by artists and musicians worldwide.

In order to approach Harald Bode's extensive oeuvre from different perspectives and to celebrate the successful reproduction of the Barberpole Phaser, ZKM and HfM are organizing a festival dedicated to analog synthesizers and electronic sound converters.
The festival is aimed at artists and musicians, experts and scientists of the history of electronic art, friends and enthusiasts of analog synthesizers, as well as the interested and curious. 
The event begins on Friday with a symposium at the ZKM Media Theater with lectures and performances on Harald Bode's life and work from a scientific and artistic perspective, his inventions, compositions, and collaborations with musicians.

In the evening, the event will move from the ZKM to the HfM. With reference to Harald Bode's own compositions and with the help of the reconstructed Barberpole Phaser, the newly created or rediscovered sound possibilities will be explored in concerts and performances.

The festival is part of the research project »Reconstructing Harald Bode«, initiated in 2022 by ZKM | Karlsruhe, SYNTH-Werk Munich and HfM | University of Music Karlsruhe.

Project lead:
Tina Lorenz (ZKM | Hertzlab)
Felix Mittelberger (ZKM | Archive)
Christoph Seibert (HfM, IMWI | Institute for Music Informatics and Musicology)

Organization:
Laura Benetschik (ZKM | Hertzlab)
Dominik Kautz (ZKM | Hertzlab)
Lea Luka Sikau (ZKM | Hertzlab)

Video documentary:
@ ZKM | Video Studio, 2025
Moritz Büchner (Camera)
Andy Koch (Live Editing)
Lilli Steyer (Editing)