Peter Meanwell Appointed as New Director

photo: Sasha Azanova

Lydgalleriet is delighted to announce the appointment of Peter Meanwell as its new director, starting 1st September.

A curator and radio maker, Meanwell has a long track record of presenting exploratory sound and music and building listening communities in Bergen / Birgon, after 11 years as artistic director of Borealis – a festival for experimental music.

He writes, «I’m thrilled to be leading Lydgalleriet on the next phase of its journey. It has been such an important institution – locally, nationally and internationally – and as the gallery celebrates its 20th anniversary I'm excited to explore how it can continue to evolve both as a platform for sound based artworks and a hub for listening together.»

Meanwell takes over from interim gallery manager Sasha Azanova, following the departure of previous director Julie Lillelien Porter in February 2025.

Leader of the board Jeremy Welsh writes, «The board of Lydgalleriet is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Meanwell as our new director, with effect from 1st. September 2025. Several highly qualified applicants were interviewed for the position and Peter Meanwell stood out with his many years of experience within the fields of experimental music, sound art and institutional development, and his vision for the gallery, its artistic programme and its relations with both the sound art community and the broader public. Together with the board, Peter will formulate a new strategy plan to further develop the institution. Lydgalleriet remains committed to promoting professional sound art practices and to the development of critical discourse within the field of sound art and related cultural practices, and we are confident that our new director will build upon this commitment.»

Meanwell’s long career working with sound has spanned radio making at the BBC and a pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, as well as writing, teaching and organising; he holds an MA in Curatorial Practice from the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design at the University of Bergen. During his time at Borealis he has collaborated with, and commissioned some of Norway’s most prominent artists working with sound including Maia Urstad, Signe Lidén, Espen Sommer Eide, Elina Waage Mikalsen, Jana Winderen and Camille Norment. With a broad network across Norway, Sápmi and beyond he presented the first showing outside Venice of the Golden Lion winning “Sun and Sea” project by Lithuanian artists Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė; as well as several projects by the Pulitzer prize winning composer, performer and installation artist Raven Chacon. Meanwell has a particular interest in the intersection of contemporary sonic art practices with social and political issues – his work, alongside colleagues at Borealis, was awarded the first Equality Prize from the Norwegian Composers Association in 2017, and together with artist Elina Waage Mikalsen he has recently undertaken extensive research into Sámi experimental sound practices.