Starting shot on the Grand Canal without guests from the palace

Yes, you are a little disappointed as a journalist if you travel to Venice in anticipation of an event with blue -flowered guests. But it shouldn’t be: Neither the Grand Duke with wife nor his successor (with or without a wife) was honored on Thursday this week to ceremoniously open the Pavilion Luxembourg with the title « Sonic Investigations » at the 19th Mostra Internazionale di Archettura.

Officially, no reason was given for the absence of the representatives from the court. But in the year of the silver anniversary of the throne and shortly before the abdication of Grand Duke Henri, the agenda of both parties seems to be packed. The conclave, which is surely pursued, will probably not have been decisive, also not the birthday of grandson Charles. However, a worthy replacement not only represented the head of state, but also the government: Minister of Culture Eric Thill was honor and used his two-day stay on the Grand Canal, among other things to take a close look at the Luxembourg Biennale contribution.

However, Lupe is not the right tool to approach the pavilion, which is extremely prominently accommodated in the arsenale, more precisely on the first floor of the arms hall, and has two quite prominent neighbors with Ukraine and Turkey. Anyone who enters the semicircular, darkened construction in which the actual “exhibit” is located must rely on their hearing, because the sound literally makes music here.

Whisper tones and twittering birds

Already before the step into the half -darkness it says « Ears Spit! »: A five -minute sound composition welcomes visitors, implemented by artist and musician Anthea Caddy. The title: « Long Throw Whispers », roughly « wide-throw whisper ». The voice of musicologist Peter Szendy, who performs five text fragments, can be heard, including from Dantes « Inferno » and Kafkas « Der Bau ». Only those who place themselves perfectly in front of the sound judge, which reminds of a parabolic antenna, are able to understand some words that are performed in a whisper tone.

If you then walk through the curtain that leads to the semicircle, you can completely indulge in the sounds that patter on him or it. There is even the possibility to take a seat in the middle of the room on a seating furniture in XXL format, even to lend itself down, and what sounds from the two dozen boxes to let themselves: « Ecotonalities: No Other Home The In-Between » (translated roughly: « Öko-tonalities: no other home than that »), a around 31 minute Noise composition by sound artist Ludwig Berger.

Even when the eyes are closed and full of concentration, it is difficult to clearly determine all the noises or separate yourself from each other. Yes, one is probably grilling, then a plane that starts and lifts off, twittering birds, then a whirring and hum that is definitely not human. And isn’t that a door that falls into the castle?

An extract from the sound composition by artist Ludwig Berger:

Fortunately, curiosity can be satisfied with a quick look. Three displays clarify: about the place, the sound source and – for technology fans – about the recording form. This is by no means neglected when Ludwig Berger’s work. In the accompanying band « Ecotones – Investigating Sounds and Territories » he explains that he sees microphones as his musical instruments, which are « used » by the objects in the area. Like an instrument, each microphone also has a different frequency range, a car also resulted in different sound properties through different microphones.

And what is the solution to the puzzle? What’s the ears? Sometimes it is a tone of a data center in a frequency that can hardly be perceived for human ears, sometimes bats on their nightly tour, then owls, noises from a pumped memory, a siren, then pale chickens, candagens and water rack. And not to forget: the Cargolux plane. Vianden, Differdingen, Kayl, Bissen, Betzdorf and Grünewald, to name just a few – Ludwig Berger was on the move across the country to capture sounds.

Despite the small auxiliary tricks, the pavilion curators Valentin Bansac, Mike Fritsch and Alice Lougeau, together with Ludwig Berger, succeeded in bringing Luxembourg closer to visitors through sound. And that in a culture that is primarily shaped by visual impressions.

Sound research in Luxembourg

« Luxembourg is a small country, but for us it is a really good place for the topic of sound research, because it is somehow very representative of many dynamics that take place in Europe today, but also worldwide, » explains Valentin Bansac before going inside. The development in the country has an impact on the landscape, such as the use of renewable energies or the topic of data storage. « We were really interested in giving these peculiarities a voice and also showing that they are closely intertwined with our environment. »

Ludwig Berger, who guided the implementation, reports 240 hours of raw material that have been incorporated into the work, recorded in satellite parks, forests or artificial lakes. Not only with ordinary microphones, but also with electromagnetic antennas or vibration intake devices, even under water he collected sound fragments. The recordings took place during the day and at night, the composition depicts the course of an entire day.

« The heart of this piece is the concept of eco tones: this describes a transition area of ​​two overlapping ecosystems. And in this case it is ecosystems such as forests and meadows that encounter human infrastructure. » The sound composition shows where and how the world designed by humans meets nature, where machines meet animals, drums of aircraft on goose snatch. Would recordings have led to a similar result 100 years ago? Probably not, but even then machines rattled, the first automobiles rattled.

And just as humans can gain a different acoustic impression depending on the point of view, the pavilion also has many different sound experiences – right down to vibrations that visitors can experience physically. As in everyday life, the impressions are varied, for every visitor, for every visitor differently.

« A window to the world of architecture »

According to Valentin Bansac, the curators hope that visitors are not only moved through the sounds, but also take what they heard into their everyday life. This is probably also hoping for Eric Thill, who finds only praise for the “Sonic Investigations” project when he visited Venice as Minister of Culture. Because the presence in Venice is of particular relevance for the Ministry, it is an important place for networking. « It’s a window to the world of architecture. »

Luxembourg is also said to get a little away from his image as a financial center. Of course, the word « tax haven » does not fall. « We have a various cultural scene in the country, with actors who do excellent work. » The Biennale is therefore also a way to represent the country’s values ​​abroad. « Luxembourg has a lot more to offer. »

Politically, the topic of architecture is currently also of the greatest relevance, as Thill confirms: Even as Minister of Culture, he is well aware of the role of this sector, for example, in the area of ​​living and social housing. And in this context, not to forget issues such as sustainability and circular economy are important. « As a politician, we have the responsibility to support the new paths that go architecture and urban development. » You have to think differently than 20, 30 years ago.

The Luxembourg Pavilion, « Sonic Investigations », is not only inventory and criticism at the same time, but also a suggestion to do it differently in the future … or simply do better. And even those who do not make it into the lagoon city can experience the sound composition of Ludwig Berger, at some point in Luxembourg: the curator trio promises a audio sample as part of the Luga garden exhibition. Another project of Luxembourg, in which not only the present plays a role, but also the look ahead.