SILENT ECHOES NOTRE DAME
“No longer for ears…..sound
which like a deeper ear,
hears us, who only seem
to be hearing. Reversal of spaces.
Projection of innermost worlds
into the Open…..”
Rainer Maria Rilke
Notre Dame has been described as being the soul of Paris. As a result of the tragic fire in 2019 it’s bells had fallen silent.
This sound sculpture makes audible the fact that these bells are secretly ringing all the time. I think of this secret ringing as being the heartbeat of Notre Dame. The sound that the bells are producing is created by their harmonic response to the ambient sounds of Paris that surround Notre Dame, revealing that these bells are giant metal ears. Silent Echoes Test Mix
The physical fact that these bells are harmonically excited by the ambient sounds of Paris is a phenomenon this sound sculpture makes audible as a living work of art. This is achieved because a network of vibration sensors called acceleromet are mounted on each of the 10 bells that simultaneously transmit the resonating harmonic echoes within these bells to IRCAM. which manages this live audio network for potential distribution anywhere in the world.
The public premiere of Silent Echoes took pkace at Centre Pompidou from 8 June to 2 July Exhibition in June/July 2022. Silent Echoes reopened at the Centre Pompidou October 12th.
Silent Echoes opened Tuesday September 13th at Arter in Istanbul in time for the 17th Istanbul Biennale and was on exhbit until December 4th. This means that Silent Echoes was simultaneously live in both Paris and Istanbul. It was also live in Linz Austria for Ars Electronica in early September. Silent Echoes just opened this past May 11th in the historic Wells Cathedral in the UK. Just opened at the Abbaye Saint-Germain d’Auxerre for the exhibiton ECHOS VOYAGE SONOR by Centre Pompudou