Thomas Köner (b. 1965 in Bochum) is a media artist who focuses on combining visual and auditory experiences. Köner attended music college in Dortmund and studied electronic music at the CEM-Studio in Arnhem. He works between installation, sound art, ambient music and dub techno (as one half of Porter Ricks). Köner's sound work, released on labels such as Big Cat, Mille Plateaux and Barooni, is densely layered, subtle and encourages intensive and physical listening. His collaborative practice has led to him working with musicians, filmmakers and visual artists on installations, films and sound performances. While studying, he dedicated himself to intensive sound research, avoiding rhythm and melody and focusing instead on the phenomenon of sound colour. To intensify the experience of sound, he decided to work with other media, resulting in his first collaboration with film artist Jürgen Reble in 1992.
Köner has exhibited extensively internationally including at major international events such as La Biennale di Venezia. He has received many notable awards for his work, including from Montreal International Festival New Cinema New Media in 2000, Ars Electronica in 2004 and transmediale in 2005.