site-determined public work (unmarked), Species Deposit, Matadero Madrid
20-channel audio, tactile transducers, ∞
active 18 May – 1 July 2013
commissioned by Matadero Contemporary Art Center Residency Program
The project is an unmarked site-specific sound installation created for the new access to the Matadero Madrid cultural complex around its iconic elevated water tower, near Legazpi square. The intervention remains invisible, embedded in the architecture, creating a subtle zone of sound which merges with the everyday sonic environment at this outdoor public location.
The intervention features a multichannel composition consisting of evolving layers of high-frequency textures, insect-like rhythmic patterns and microsounds. The sound is projected through twenty small transducers concealed on both sides along the wooden footbridge. The work runs 24/7, producing a sound field in continuous interaction with the fluctuations of the weather, the urban background noise and the flow of passers-by during day and night.
The Sharawadji effect is an aesthetic effect which characterises the sensation of plenitude sometimes created by the contemplation of a complex soundscape whose beauty is unexplainable. Whether in a dreamlike or anxious state, we are sometimes completely deaf to the environment. However, while on a walk or on a journey, our spirit can combine availability, attention, perspicacity and therefore become receptive to new things, including sonic fantasy.
— Jean-François Augoyard and Henry Torgue in Sonic Experience: A guide to Everyday Sounds
