The Museum of Sound is fluid, without a fixed location, existing instead in the act of listening itself. Created by Tommi Grönlund and Rikke Lundgreen during preparations for Mika Vainio 50Hz at Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki in 2020, it is an evolving space dedicated to focused sonic experiences.

The seminal electronic musician Mika Vainio (1963–2017) often gathered friends at home to listen to music in silence, immersing fully in sound. Inspired by this, the Museum of Sound presents a series of listening rooms – empty rooms filled with sound, where nothing else demands attention. For Intonal, Grönlund and Lundgreen curate a playlist of Vainio’s compositions, recalling his history at Inkonst, both solo and with Pan Sonic.

How does music trigger an emotional response? Sound is deeply personal, yet shared. The listening room invites audiences to strip away distractions, allowing sound to unfold freely in time and space.

Rikke Lundgreen, the late Vainio’s partner, maintains his studio, archive, and collection in Oslo, where the couple lived together. Tommi Grönlund co-founded – and still operates – the record label Sähkö Recordings with Vainio in 1993. He lives and works in Helsinki, and as an artist, he partners with Petteri Nisunen as Grönlund/Nisunen.