CONTRARIUM RETURNS TO LOFI AMSTERDAM WITH THREE NIGHTS OF AUDIOVISUAL PERFORMANCE

Contrarium returned to Lofi Amsterdam this January with a three-night series that once again blur the boundaries between club culture, performance art, and immersive installation. Presented by Lumus Instruments, the 2026 edition unfolds as a gradual shift in form: from seated, cinematic performances to a one-night-only audiovisual club experience.

image courtesy of LOFI

The opening night on 10 January set the tone with a spatial live AV performance featuring .VRIL, Young Marco, Max Frimout, and Lumus Instruments. With the artists positioned at the centre of the space and the audience encircling them, the performance dissolved the traditional divide between stage and crowd. Facing one another, they entered into a live conversation between human and machine, light and sound, made possible by a custom-built real-time system where every action rippled through the entire environment. The result felt contemplative and cinematic.

opening night on 10th January, photography by IRIS ZEBLI

This dialogue continues on 16 January with a second seated performance by JakoJako and Maarten Vos, before Contrarium breaks its own rules on 17 January. Chairs disappear, boundaries dissolve, and the series culminates in a participatory AV club night featuring Dasha Rush, Shoal, and Spekki Webu. Physical, collective, and unrepeatable, the final night marks the next step in Contrarium’s ongoing exploration of how humans and non-human agents coexist within digital performance practice — and confirms why the series remains a standout moment in Amsterdam’s experimental music calendar.