Anushka Chkheidze
Musician, Sound Artist
Which sound is special to you?
For me, every sound can be special. It really depends on the moment, the situation, and my mood. One day I might feel deeply connected to the sound of water, but on another day, it could be something like the noise of a street, or the wind moving through trees, or even how it echoes through a tunnel. I don’t have one fixed favorite, because I think the way we hear and feel sound is always changing. It’s as difficult to tickle one as movie, book or a band.
How do you go about writing for a specific space?
For me, the space is maybe the most important part. Whether I’m performing live, making an installation, traveling, or even just sitting somewhere to think. Space changes everything for me. It affects how I feel, how I listen, and how I create. I don’t just write for the physical qualities of the space. I also work with how it interacts with my emotional state.
What instrument has yet to be invented?
I do record simple voice lines, harmonies, sometimes just sounds, and then I layer them, build harmonic textures, build up my own sampler to make instruments. I really believe that the human voice is the most personal and unique instrument we have. No plugin or synthesizer can sound exactly like my voice. Even if I don’t always like the way I sing, I know that my voice is mine and it’s individual. So even when I transform it or build something new from it, it still carries something that no one else can copy.That’s why I always come back to it. For Darmstad I try to use similar techniques, but it’s my first time to also build payments Machines and work on “Hacked Voices” project. It was always abstract, but now it will have also visual and strong conceptual aspect.
Anushka Chkheidze is a musician and artist whose work is strongly influenced by the Georgian choral singing tradition. This early connection to vocal music is reflected in her sound installations, in which she often works with voices and field recordings. In addition to her work as an electronic music producer, she has developed sound-based works that explore space, memory and collaboration. She lives in Utrecht and is active in both electronic music and sound art. Her current works include Lost Lullaby for the Monheim Triennial (2023) and See Me for Tatort Paderborn (2025).