serge bulat epk
Serge Bulat is a Moldovan-American multidisciplinary artist from a border town near Ukraine. Since immigrating to the U.S., he has carved a singular path through music, interactive art, and immersive storytelling. Known for the IMA-winning Queuelbum, the Inkblot installation, Cornershop, and the experimental game Wurroom, Bulat merges sound, performance, and perception into exploratory works that challenge and reframe the senses.
His recent expeditions across 20 countries - capturing rare and disappearing sounds - inform new works like Phonomundi, shaped by a rich constellation of global perspectives. These recordings reflect a commitment to documenting change, celebrating resilience, and preserving culture through creativity.
bio
Serge Bulat is a Moldovan-American multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of sound, performance, and perception. Bridging continents and cultures, his work spans electronic music, psychological installations, video games, radio, theater, and visual storytelling - each piece is a device for disrupting perception and reimagining the boundaries of experience. Not just art, but controlled detours through sensory, psychological, and cultural terrain.
Known for boundary-blurring projects like the IMA-winning Queuelbum, the immersive psychological installation Inkblot, and surreal game scores Wurroom and Isolomus, Bulat treats each medium as a space for experimentation and meaning-making. His albums Wurmenai, Similarities Between Fish And A Chair, and Omorphita Cornershop explore everything from ethnography and identity to displacement, dance, and environmental soundscapes.
Whether DJing global rhythms, staging electro-acoustic performances, or documenting endangered sonic practices across 12 countries for his archival project Phonomundi, Bulat crafts experiences that defy genre and invite deep listening. Rooted in philosophy, science, and cross-cultural dialogue, his work celebrates creative freedom while challenging the way we hear - and see - the world.
notable appearances
FESTIVALS/CONFERENCES:
FILE (Electronic Language International Festival 2023), Brazil
Burning Man (UNPOP), USA
Video Art Forum, Saudi Arabia
INT-ACT 2022: New Act, Vocality and Transmutation Festival, Thailand
Technarte (Art & Technology International Conference), Spain
Bethany Arts: IMPACT 2022 (Art that Bears Witness) USA
Convergence (International Conference of Music, Technology & Ideas), UK
New Music Gathering, USA
International Forum of Performance Art, Greece
Simultan Festival: The Changing and The Indeterminate, Romania
Seeing Sound, UK
Jambo Festival, Andorra
New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF), USA
Soundbox 5 Interstitial Spaces: Collaborations & Creative Catalysts, USA
New Mimesis: simulation, models, metaphors, and data in music, Belgium/UK
Constellation Chicago (Frequency Series), USA
media coverage/airplay
SERGE BULAT APPEARED IN THE FOLLOWING AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA:
BBC, COLORS, Ibero 90.9, The Moderns, KEXP, Cities And Memory, Delete TV, The Deli Magazine, Threads Radio, The Groove Cartel, Rhythm Passport, The Burning Ear, Parkett, The Hibernation Project, Novorama, RTM.fm, Visual Atelier 8, Eventide, Bandcamp, Radioaktiv, Radiophrenia, Toneshift's Sound + Solidarity, c89.5 Café Chill, Joe Sumner's Show on Amazing Radio, Plastic Magazine, RTVE Radio 3, Electric Sense, Facts & Arts, Acoustic Frontiers, Son Of Marketing, Culture Remixed, Radio Reverb, and CAMP Radio.
current projects and releases
PHONOMUNDI
'Phonomundi' is a sonic expedition into the heart of cultural memory, capturing the voices of landscapes, traditions, and everyday life across 12 countries. Conceived as an auditory archive, the project documents the ritual music of Native America, the folklore of the Pyrenees, endangered bell-ringing practices in Andorra and Malta, the vast soundscapes of the Sahara, and the intricate rhythms of crafts and food markets in Türkiye and Poland.
These recordings serve both as a preservation effort and a meditation on sound as an evolving, living heritage, reflecting the fragile balance between tradition and transformation.
The project’s mission is to document, preserve, and reintroduce the world’s heritage by capturing living soundscapes from diverse cultures, environments, and traditions. By focusing on locations and customs that are increasingly threatened by over-tourism, environmental degradation, and cultural shifts, 'Phonomundi' highlights the fragility of heritage while celebrating the resilience of traditions that continue to shape collective memory.
Through deeply engaging recordings, it draws the listener into environments at risk of vanishing and serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding this shared legacy for future generations. 'Phonomundi' embodies the motto: "Listening is remembering. Sound is heritage."
CORNERSHOP SERIES
Cornershop Series is an evolving project by Serge Bulat, dedicated to discovering the unique sounds of locations worldwide. Inspired by his Cornershop concept, it explores the intersection of sound, culture, and environment through field recordings, collaboration with local artists, and community involvement. Each destination/residency transforms into a 'Cultural Cornershop', yielding an archive of audio that captures the region’s identity and character.
The project has delivered a multifaceted collection of work, including an album inspired by the sounds of Cyprus, curated DJ mixes, and radio shows that feature the music and soundscapes encountered throughout these expeditions. By blending elements of ethnomusicology and anthropological research, the series reveal how sound shapes identity and connects people to their environment. Through public workshops and events, the project invites listeners to experience the unique resonances of each place, creating a bridge across cultures and generations while preserving these sonic environments for future audiences.
OMORPHITA CORNERSHOP
'Omorphita Cornershop' is an auditory escapade. This dance album reflects Bulat's odyssey as an immigrant, a sonic nomad, searching for the rarest sounds, to celebrate creativity amidst turmoil. Influenced by global conflicts and conceived in Nicosia's cultural duality, the project turns adversity into art and invites dance through unrest. Authentic field recordings of Cyprus capture border crossings and local environments, weaving personal narratives into an unforgettable sonic extravaganza.
The album's message is survival through creativity, unity, and transformation.
The release is supported by radio mixes and DJ sets (Cornershop Playlists) curated for the occasion. The events require active listening, dancing, and supporting a cause that matters.
INKBLOT
'Inkblot' is a multi-format presentation and workshop, designed as the psychological Inkblot test, but expanded by the addition of another sense: hearing.
The project consists of core introduction and audiovisual work, fresh sound pieces added on frequent basis and an engaging video game.
'Inkblot' explores the connection between creativity and mental health, in hopes of developing new tools for psychological and artistic practices.
Currently presented at selected venues in various formats, including AV installations, talks, and listening events.
SOUNDHUNTING
The project aims to preserve unique and vanishing sounds from around the world, reflecting the diversity of cultures and natural environments. Each installation draws from field recordings across four continents, including Andorra, Egypt, Turkey, Iceland, and the USA, highlighting the rich ethnomusicological and environmental characteristics of these regions. From these sonic expeditions, Bulat creates immersive sound installations, albums, and episodes that engage listeners on multiple levels.
Bulat also contributes to initiatives like Cities and Memory, particularly Music for Sleep and the Migration Sounds project in collaboration with the Centre on Migration, Policy, and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. This groundbreaking project is the first global collection of human migration sounds, using audio to reframe discussions on this vital topic. Bulat’s contributions include original music, field recordings, the first-ever recordings from Moldova, and impactful protest audio from Nicosia.
In 2024, Bulat participated in the 'Red Deer Season' residency in the French Pyrenees, led by Chris Watson. This immersive experience focused on advanced environmental sound recording techniques, enabling Bulat to capture the sounds of red deer, bats, and underwater environments using hydrophones. These recordings enrich his installations and compositions, offering listeners a deeper connection to the natural world.
WURMENAI/WURROOM
'Wurmenai' and 'Similarities Between Fish And A Chair' are two volumes of a genre-bending concept project that explores a fusion of music genres, cultures, and collaborations. This hybrid creation intertwines cultural convergence, indigenous art and sound preservation, and an identity quest.
Featuring a diverse group of artists, including Miriam Garcia, Rumbo Tumba, Nino Errera, Pavel Vit, OYME, Michael Rfdshir, Katie Buckley, Dai Seikiguchi, and Hirokazu Ishida, the project redefines the boundaries of traditional music experiences.
Significantly, 'Wurroom' is an album in game format, created to experience music in a new and interactive way. This experimental video game serves as an innovative extension of the album, offering listeners an immersive, hands-on engagement with the music.
Across both volumes, the project acts as a vibrant cross-cultural dialogue, deepening the exploration of identity, collaboration, and the preservation of indigenous sounds and art forms. This project exemplifies the power of music as a universal language, bridging cultural divides and creating a shared artistic experience.
RFDSHIR GAMES
'Visceratum' is the latest project by the collaborative duo Michael Rfdshir and Serge Bulat. This art game, currently in the late stages of development, features an original soundtrack and continues their tradition of merging interactivity with art.
Building on their previous collaborations, including 'Wurroom' and 'Isolomus', 'Visceratum' pushes the boundaries of music and gaming. This new project delves into psychological themes, blending creativity and imagination to craft a compelling quest. It aims to create an immersive experience that explores the intersection of art and the psyche, offering a unique journey that engages players on both an emotional and intellectual level.
IDENTITUDES
'Identitudes' was composed for the 'Emerging Character of Identity (ECI)' project by Sean Ellis Hussey and premiered in Chicago on May 7th, 2023.
'ECI' is a collaborative venture featuring performers and contributors such as Lise Kroner, Emily Boone, George Teague, and playwright/dramaturg Jamie Olah, alongside Serge Bulat and Sean Ellis Hussey.
The concert series delves into the exploration of identity and the concept of 'becoming' through sound and performance experimentation, offering a deeply cathartic experience.
'Identitudes' was additionally released as an album.
photos
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