Born in Vevey in 1980, Antoine Chessex is a sound artist whose works assume a wide diversity of forms crossing the boundaries between Noise, (de)composition, improvisation and artistic researches.
As a performer, he radically deterritorialized the tenor saxophone by playing his horn through distorting stacks of guitar amplifiers and PA systems to create monolithic walls of electrified textures resulting in intense live actions. In recent years, he refocused acoustic playing within different constellations. Chessex performed solo at numerous international festivals and venues worldwide.
As a composer, his works are characterized by textural density and microtonal tensions often resulting in sound-masses exploring the physical dimensions of space and time. Recent works include Les Abîmes Hallucinés, The Experience of Limit and écho/cide.
As a researcher, Chessex addresses issues around Noise, sonic imaginations, marginal artistic practices, politics of sound, sonic ecology, critical listening and possible articulations of sound and philosophy within the context of sound studies. Recent publications include Unfolding the Margins (éditions du désordre, 2017), Thinking A Sonic World (2017) and the multilingual magazine Multiple (éditions du désordre, 2016 & 2018).
Chessex is also a founding member of the band Monno with whom he toured extensively. He also curates the festival Textures for adventurous sonic practices happening in different European cities.
His works have been presented at Cafe OTO (London), Transmediale festival (Berlin), Ultima contemporary music festival (Oslo),Videotage (Hong Kong), Diapason Gallery (New York), Issue Project Room (New York), The Lab (San Francisco), The Compound (San Francisco), INA/GRM Présence électronique Festival (Paris), Berghain (Berlin), Tuned City festival (Berlin), Alexandrinsky Theatre (St-Petersburg), Sonic Protest festival (Paris), Unsound festival (Krakow), Archipel festival (Geneva), Women (Los Angeles), Ultra Hang festival (Budapest), Parnassos concert hall (Athen), Vaal Gallery (Tallinn), Dom (Moscow), All Ears Festival (Oslo), Corsica Studios (London), Sound Forest festival (Riga), Urban Guild (Kyoto), Urga (Tokyo), Ochiai Soup (Tokyo), Namba Bear (Osaka), Swissnex (San Francisco), Center of contemporary arts (Warsaw), Fundacion Serralves (Porto), Palace Akropolis (Prague), Tam Tuumb! Festival (Roma), Audio Art Festival (Krakow), Meteo Festival (Mulhouse), Sibelius Academy (Helsinki), Ze Dos Bois (Lisbon), Elastic Arts (Chicago), HAU (Berlin), Mochvara (Zagreb), Ancienne Belgique (Brussels), LUFF festival (Lausanne), Ruin Festival (Wien), Echo festival (Belgrade), Fylkingen (Stockholm), Sendesaal Bremen, DNK(Amsterdam), Istituto Svizzero (Roma), Rotterdam Film Festival and Fri Art (Fribourg).
