- Installation
Snoring
Paula Vidal
28 June 2024 19:00–22:00
29 June 2024 12:00–22:00
30 June 2024 12:00–19:00
"Snoring // On Air" is a unique artistic installation that invites us to reconsider forgotten urban spaces through the air that inhabits them. The air serves as a memory that persists against oblivion. Located on the top floor of an abandoned building in Berlin, a former branch of the clothing chain C&A, this installation transforms the air into the central protagonist of a multisensory experience.
Why air? It is omnipresent, yet often invisible and forgotten. In Snoring, however, air comes to life, snaking and dancing through a membrane designed to contain and shape it, creating serpentine structures that envelop and guide visitors through the space. The membrane also holds enough air to move the entire building in one minute of activity.
Sound artist Jan Solcani worked on capturing and amplifying sounds from the building's ventilation ducts. These sounds interact with the environment to create an immersive auditory experience that changes as visitors move through the installation, offering unexpected sensory interactions with the air.
The use of orange for the membrane symbolises Rayleigh scattering, which creates the vibrant colours of sunrises and sunsets. This connection emphasises the role of air beyond breathing, presenting it as a transformative agent and a crucial part of the sensory experience.
Although air itself has no defined form, its interaction with the membrane and the building environment shows us how it can be contained, shaped and visualised. The installation encourages reflection on the many lives and moments the space has experienced, all through the lens of the air that has permeated it.
A complementary video shows the air's journey through the building's ventilation system, providing insight into the essential role of air and its interaction with the architectural structure. This visual component helps visitors to understand the hidden paths that air takes, and illuminates the infrastructure that once powered the space.
Why air? It is omnipresent, yet often invisible and forgotten. In Snoring, however, air comes to life, snaking and dancing through a membrane designed to contain and shape it, creating serpentine structures that envelop and guide visitors through the space. The membrane also holds enough air to move the entire building in one minute of activity.
Sound artist Jan Solcani worked on capturing and amplifying sounds from the building's ventilation ducts. These sounds interact with the environment to create an immersive auditory experience that changes as visitors move through the installation, offering unexpected sensory interactions with the air.
The use of orange for the membrane symbolises Rayleigh scattering, which creates the vibrant colours of sunrises and sunsets. This connection emphasises the role of air beyond breathing, presenting it as a transformative agent and a crucial part of the sensory experience.
Although air itself has no defined form, its interaction with the membrane and the building environment shows us how it can be contained, shaped and visualised. The installation encourages reflection on the many lives and moments the space has experienced, all through the lens of the air that has permeated it.
A complementary video shows the air's journey through the building's ventilation system, providing insight into the essential role of air and its interaction with the architectural structure. This visual component helps visitors to understand the hidden paths that air takes, and illuminates the infrastructure that once powered the space.
Biography
Paula Vidal
Paula Vidal is an artist and architect whose work explores memory and the way in which we construct political and social truths. In her video interventions or large-scale inflatable installations, she poses questions to which visitors instinctively react with their bodies and which challenge their usual physical and mental perceptions. In addition to her artistic and architectural practice, which has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and in countries as far afield as Sierra Leone, Germany, Spain and Uruguay, Paula Vidal is currently completing her doctoral studies at the TU Berlin.