Queer Ear is a Berlin-based sound practice run by Tara Transitory and Baly Nguyễn, working across sound direction, mixing, mastering, and spatial sound for music, performance, installation, and film.
Founded from the necessity to create a safer and more attentive space for FLINTA* (female, lesbian, inter, non-binary, trans, agender) and queer artists — while remaining open to all — Queer Ear approaches sound not as a purely technical service, but as a dramaturgical and contextual practice. Rather than focusing on genre, our work centres on assisting artists in materialising complex sonic imaginations with clarity, care, and intention.
We have been working with sound across releases, performances, installations, and film since 2007, and opened Queer Ear to the public in 2019. Our practice spans three closely connected streams:
Sound Direction & Mixing
We work with artists, performers, and filmmakers on mixing as a dramaturgical process — shaping balance, perspective, and narrative in close dialogue with the context of presentation, whether for release, performance, or exhibition.
Mastering & Finalisation
We provide mastering and final sound preparation for vinyl, digital releases, screenings, and installations, with attention to format, medium, and playback conditions. Mastering is approached as a final stage of listening and decision-making, rather than a one-size-fits-all process.
Sound Installations & Spatial Works
We develop and realise sound installations and spatial sound works, including multi-channel composition, sound design, and system design for exhibitions, performances, and site-specific contexts. This often includes conceptual development, technical consultation, and close collaboration with artists and curators.
Our work spans independent artists, labels, and cultural institutions, and includes projects with A24, Berliner Festspiele, and RVNG Intl., alongside a wide range of interdisciplinary and experimental practices.
Tara Transitory graduated in Film, Sound, and Video in 2001 and worked in sound design and audio post-production for television and film in Singapore until 2007. She later completed a Master’s degree in Media Design at the Piet Zwart Institute (Rotterdam). Alongside her studio practice, Tara has maintained an extensive artistic career in sound, performance, and contemporary art, presenting work internationally at institutions and festivals including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, CTM Festival (Berlin), donaufestival (Krems), Gaîté Lyrique (Paris), Tokyo Performing Arts Meeting (Yokohama), MoCA Taipei, and Wiener Festwochen. In 2020, she was a DAAD Artist-in-Residence in Berlin.
Baly Nguyễn graduated from the Institute for Applied Theatre Studies in Giessen, specialising in sound and composition for stage and performance. Since 2010, she has worked at the intersection of sound, theatre, and dance as a composer, sound designer, and dramaturgical advisor. In parallel, she develops her own artistic projects, approaching performance and experimental music through postcolonial and critical perspectives.
We look forward to hearing from you and learning about your work.