Sound artist presents perspectives in the philosophy of music

Birzeit University’s Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies held a lecture themed “Philosophy and Music” on Novemeber 12, 2019, featuring multi-media artist and improviser Dirar Kalash.

Kalash explored the philosophy of music by explaining the central role music plays in many people’s lives. He pointed out that researchers and intellectuals, such as Ibn Sina, al-Farabi, and others, have always linked music to cognitive, psychological, and emotional states, giving different types of music similar attributes. The philosophy of music, according to Kalash, attempts to answer questions concerning the nature and value of musical practices, the ontological nature of musical works, and the experience of expressiveness in music.

Dirar Kalash is a musician and sound artist whose work spans a wide range of musical and sonic practices within a variety of compositional and improvisational contexts. His performance and compositional approaches to instruments, techniques, and aesthetics are highly political, as they challenge dichotomies, hierarchies, and the binary logic of new/old and west/east as tools of cultural imperialism and hegemony.