Installation + Performance
Exhibition “The Way of the Water” from Tangente St.Pölten Festival
May until October 2024 in Sonnenpark St.Pölten (map here).
Commissioned by Tangente St.Pölten – Festival of Contemporary Culture
Installation
Sound and visual installation in Mühlbach, St.Pölten.
The project consists of ceramic drums, bells, bowls and whistles that interact with the river and the surrounding nature.
A myriad of flowing stories is carried by the millenary waters that run around our planet every day. These primordial waters have witnessed and participated in major planetary reformations, traveling the globe and permeating countless bodies in the form of meandering rivers, rainfall, sweat, mist or snow. These fluid exchanges keep such streaming stories afloat.
In White Cycles, the artist and composer Roberta Lazo Valenzuela renders a sonorous tribute to the millennial spirit of water, praising the stories contained in its tides. By observing the Mühlbach’s natural white noise, resonant qualities and potential interpreters, Roberta designed three sets of ceramic musical objects in collaboration with a local ceramist. These objects appeal to the symbol of infinity and cyclic motion by taking the circle as a primary form. Its raw colour highlights the pieces within the darker landscape, complementing the scene with poetic meaning.
The compositions intricately weave together stories, memories and landscapes, creating diverse soundscapes and atmospheres. An ensemble of floating drums, chimes and singing sculptures serenade the stream’s water through their active performance and interact with the motion of the current, flora, fauna and the weather.
As visitors stroll along the Mühlbach amidst percussion, soft tinkles and chants, they become part of this immersive experience.
Text by Lorena Moreno Vera
Performance
The installation was activated in a performance by Sofia Garzotto and Igor Gross on the 22nd of June 2024.