Opening presentation: September 6th, 16:00

‘Mitote’ is a term from contemporary Mexican popular culture used to define a riot or a party. In earlier times the term was associated with a Mayan creation myth. In Mitote the artist conceives a kinetic sculpture which she refers to as the Bionic Mangrove, where zoomorphic creatures emit their songs thanks to the energy of the components of this tree.

Looking for the most fun and cheerful cultural activity in the centre of Utrecht? Museum Speelklok is one of the typical Dutch sights which is a definite must-see! Museum Speelklok will take you through the wonderful world of self-playing musical instruments, surprising its visitors every day with the cheerful tunes from all corners of the museum. A fun day out in Utrecht for children and adults.

During a visit to the typical Dutch Museum Speelklok, cheerful live music will surround you from centuries-old self-playing musical instruments. The history of these instruments started back in 16th century in the Netherlands with the use of church carillons. Over the centuries, the general desire of people to be surrounded by music, led to the invention of all sorts of self-playing musical instruments: musical clocks, musical boxes, orchestrions (self-playing orchestras) and the traditional Dutch street organs. All of these instruments, including the famous street organ named Arabier and the so-called 8th world wonder the Violina, can be admired and heard during the lively museum tour. Thanks to the highly skilled Restoration Room, the collection is kept playing and this craft can be passed on from this generation to the next

More info HERE

For the entire duration of Gaudeamus Festival 2023 you can view the kinetic sculpture Mitote by the Mexican artist Vica Pacheco in Museum Speelklok. This museum for self-playing musical instruments is a long-standing partner of Gaudeamus Festival. The installation can also be seen after the festival up to and including 31 October. Mitote by Vica Pacheco is produced and distributed by iii.