Akousma
2021 / 27’min
Sound Design / Ephemeral installation
Premis Barcelona Grant 2020
"The sound experience that I prefer above all others is the experience of silence. And the silence, almost everywhere in the world now, is traffic." John Cage
The present project is a sonic reflection on the spaces where urban vegetation develops and its environmental, artistic, material, and ethical implications.
The piece was created based on material recorded in the acoustic environment of various tree species chosen from the city's Catalogue of Trees of Local Interest. During the process, I also documented the average sound intensity of each location.
Listen to the entire piece︎︎︎
The gap in our understanding of the non-human, non-urbanized, non-technological, and non-material environment is growing ever wider. There is increasing confusion about what constitutes nature and what does not. Humans are often excluded and distanced from this understanding—an idea deeply intertwined with capitalism. This narrative promotes the notion that anything external to us is an object to be dominated and manipulated.
Urban planning must extend beyond human-centered design to incorporate long-term environmental sustainability. We must become truly aware of the complexity of anthropic pressure and implement innovative solutions in how we manage our cities.
Listen to the field recordings︎︎︎