Seljuk Rustum is a Kochi-based contemporary arts practitioner originally from Kannur, Kerala. His work spans painting, music, curation, production, and sound engineering, embodying a postmodern approach that dissolves boundaries between media. He is the founder and current Creative Director of Forplay Society, an interdisciplinary performance space dedicated to experimental and independent art forms.
As a musician and sound artist, Seljuk plays alto saxophone, guitar, percussion, and synthesizer, engaging in free improvisation and experimental compositions. His self-taught practice integrates elements of sound art, media art, and technology-driven performance, often incorporating soldering, circuit bending, and custom-built sound tools. His sonic work extends his visual practice, blending joyful noise with naïve melodies.He also works as a sound designer and composer for Malayalam films.
Seljuk has collaborated with a diverse range of international artists, including Otomo Yoshihide, Senyawa, Eiko Ishibashi, Antibodies Collective, Yuen Chee Wai, Dharma, DJ Sniff, Toshio Kajiwara, Hada Benedito Mateo, Hilary Jeffery, Hayden Chisholm Maximilian Glass, and many others. In addition to his music collaborations, he has worked extensively with theatre practitioners and performance artists across India, composing music for theatre, curating interdisciplinary performances, and conducting workshops exploring the intersection of sound, movement, and visual media.
In 2016, Seljuk founded 3:1 Audiostation and Forplay Society in Kochi. Since its inception, Forplay has self-funded, produced, and curated a broad spectrum of contemporary artistic practices, including performance art, free improvisation, media art, and experimental music. It has served as a hub for artistic networking, hosting local and international artists from the USA, Japan, Spain, Bulgaria, Germany, Sweden, Austria, and Finland. Forplay Society has also introduced workshops and performances covering theatre, dance, puppetry, soldering, welding, printmaking, experimental sound design, improvisation, and writing .In 2020, Forplay Society expanded its scope through collaborations with C. Rockefeller Center and Walkin Studios during the Kochi Biennale.
In December 2020, Seljuk released his solo album Cardboard Castles on the Brighton-based label HIVE MIND RECORDS. The album received critical acclaim from The Wire Magazine, Boomkat, Backseat Mafia, and radio stations such as BBC4, BBC6, Italian National Radio, andWFMU. He was also selected as the Spotlight Artist of the Week on Tom Ravenscroft’s show on BBC6.
Currently, Seljuk is producing an album in collaboration with beat poet Louise Landes Levi, featuring musicians from Berlin (Hada Benedito Mateo, Hilary Jeffery, Aziz Lewandowski), Japan (Tabata Mitsuru, Kawabata Makoto, Toshio Kajiwara), India (Sekhar Sudhir), and Turkey (Aslı Büyükköksal). He is responsible for production, sound engineering, mixing, and performance. The album, set for release in March 2025 on LP , will be accompanied by the release of his new solo tape in the UK. Seljuk Rustum continues to explore contemporary sound art, interdisciplinary performance, and technology-driven composition, pushing the boundaries of mixed media art and improvisational practices.
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