Sonic Meditations and Tactile Wisdom: Inside Archive Ensemble’s Haptic Library

In August 2023 in Berlin, the Archive Ensemble transformed a space within HKW’s O Quilombismo exhibition into something truly remarkable. Their Haptic Library installation, activated through sound by artists Leila Bencharnia and Omar Gabriel Delnevo, created a multi-sensory experience that challenged conventional notions of what a library can be.

The two-hour sonic meditation invited visitors to engage with knowledge beyond the visual realm. Some reclined on the floor, others sat cross-legged, surrounded by carefully curated textiles and printed materials. The atmosphere was contemplative yet alive with possibility as Bencharnia and Delnevo skillfully selected vinyl records from the library’s collection, filling the well-lit space with sounds that traversed continents and traditions.

This musical journey featured an impressive array of global artists. Djalma Corrêa, the Brazilian percussionist known for his work connecting Afro-Brazilian rhythms with contemporary music, shared sonic space with Les Mamans du Congo, a collective of Congolese mothers who blend traditional lullabies with modern beats. The transcendent voice of Tunisian vocalist Ghalia Benali resonated alongside the experimental sounds of american composer and clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid.

Malian singer Rokia Traoré’s distinctive blend of traditional Bambara music with modern influences flowed into the revolutionary spoken word poetry of British-Jamaican artist Lillial Allen. The masterful oud playing of Nubian musician Hamza El Din completed this carefully orchestrated tapestry of sound.

Archive Ensemble reimagines libraries as communal and interactive spaces. Breaking from Western traditions that privilege sight and the written word, the Haptic Library emphasizes touch, sound, and collective experience. Carpets, textiles, musical instruments, cassettes and other tactile elements invite visitors to physically connect with knowledge in ways that transcend conventional reading.

This activation was part of Archive’s co-learning forum residency, embodying their commitment to anti-colonial and feminist frameworks. By creating a space where visitors could engage with knowledge through multiple senses, Archive Ensemble challenges hierarchies of knowing that have historically privileged certain forms of wisdom over others.

The Haptic Library doesn’t merely house information—it offers hospitality for both individual bodies and collective gathering. It suggests that knowledge isn’t something to be consumed passively but rather experienced actively and communally. In this thoughtfully designed environment, the boundaries between archive, art installation, and social space dissolve, pointing toward new possibilities for sharing and preserving cultural narratives.

As visitors moved through the space during the listening session —some reading, others listening, still others simply experiencing the textiles and materials—the Haptic Library revealed itself as more than a collection of objects. It became a living embodiment of Archive Ensemble’s vision: knowledge as something felt, heard, and shared in community, accessible through multiple pathways and open to diverse modes of engagement.