DIY Music Making mobility
sonorous coral
The ‘Corallo Sonoro’ or Sonor Coral was created as part of the I SRAW (International Sonic Reuse ArtWorkshop).
Co-funded by Erasmus +, we brought together a collective of artists, musicians and programmers to create this installation. Formed under the direction of Rocco Papia, a collaboration was created between Digijeunes (FR), Ayamola Cultural Association of Barcelona (ES) and artists of Mutonia (IT/GB).
In October 2021, we physically came together for an artistic residency in Calderara de Reno as part of the Boom Cantiere Creativo festival. Here, hosted by the Department of Culture of the Calderara di Reno City Council, we were able to create this imaginative piece. RE MIDA Terre d’Acqua, the centre of creative reuse of industrial waste provided the materials for construction, whilst Digijeunes brought digital knowledge and four additional participants with an interest in Digital sounds and music making, for a unique first-hand learning experience.
Altogether the collection of participants came from all across the globe including; Italy, Spain, France, England, Argentina, Scotland and Columbia!
The “Corallo Sonoro” is an interactive sound installation first imagined by Rocco Papia, with the idea to create a giant replica of natural coral purely out of waste materials. The coral would then emit sound and light, when the audience interacted with its branches creating a surreal underwater experience.
The idea behind this piece was to bring to light the crisis caused by climate change and the effect of anthropogenic pollution on underwater acoustic desertification. The coral reef was chosen for this installation as it’s the ecosystem with the most biodiversity, whilst at the same time being the most fragile and therefore the most affected by the climate crisis.
This artistic coral allows the audience to explore the underwater soundscape and gives an immersive visual and auditory experience that hopes to enhance awareness of the richness of biodiversity in the sea and the importance of its conservation.
Corallo Sonoro installed in Calderara di Reno.
15 cm diameter tubes.
Dimensions: 240x310x180
Corallo Sonoro installed in Barcelona
20 cm diameter tubes.
Dimensions: 240x330x190
Materials
– Anti-static polyurethane hose, industrial waste
– Metal bars, industrial waste
– Plastic film, food logistics waste
The work is accompanied by posters that list the animal species whose sounds have been used with a brief explanation of how to emit them. The public can emit the sounds by touching the sensors positioned on each branch of the coral. Each branch triggers a recording from one of the five categories of marine animals:
Odontocetic Cetaceans
Fish
Invertebrates
Mystic Cetaceans
Pinniped Mammals
The Corallo Sonoro can be experienced by up to 5 people at a time with the sound being diffused into the environment by two or more loudspeakers or through headphones. The simultaneous superposition of the sounds of the five branches altogether create an evocative “underwater sound jungle”.
Where is it?
The I SRAW collective has created two corals. One is exhibited at the Italo Calvino House of Culture in Calderara di Reno (Bologna, Italy) and the other is in Barcelona and available to be exhibited.
credits
A big thank you goes to all the team involved, including Italo Calvino House of Culture in Calderara di Reno (Bologna, Italy) for hosting and looking after us for the week.
Audio
Danio catanuto, Rocco papia, Joaquin Ortega, Sofia Riboloff, Juan Gabriel Di Lucia.
Programming and Electronics
Sebastian Jara, Chloe Souter, Danio catanuto
Structure
Nikki rodgerson, Rocco papia, Alejandra Forero
Sound Recordings
dosits.org - University of Rhode Island, orcaresearch.org - New Zealand, Tim Gordon - University of Exeter