“I believe, it was caused by the ‘invisible’ conventions that were all habitual to the producers at the CTM. It was, from a European perspective, the well-known institutions, venues, technologies, and social behaviors that caused the friction. […] The unavoidable entanglements of Indonesian and European aesthetics led to ‘something else’ and to new aesthetics–but still with the conventions of Western aesthetics of sound and performance art. […] Where the sensitivity toward decolonialization and democratic collaboration seemed to be of high priority at an organizational level, the same sensitivity toward the colonial history of aesthetics itself was absent.” (Groth 2020: 120)

This passage reveals the cultural friction that exists in the Berlin Contemporary Sound Music Festival (CTM) and offers some observations and reflections on this friction. The author argues that this friction stems primarily from a set of “invisible” norms that CTM producers are accustomed to following, including traditional European institutions, venues, technologies, and social behavior. The inevitable entanglement between Indonesian and European aesthetics has led to the creation of new aesthetics that are still subject to the traditional norms of Western sound aesthetics and performing arts. While sensitivity to decolonization and democratic cooperation was high at the organizational level, sensitivity to the colonial history of aesthetics itself was lacking. However, it also reveals some potential problems and limitations. The authors refer to ‘intangible’ norms and practices that may be taken for granted by CTM producers but do not analyze the nature and origin of these norms in depth. These norms may be influenced by historical, socio-cultural, artistic traditions, and other factors, and ignoring these contexts may lead to a deeper understanding of friction.