Phonos. 2020-2022

Sculptural Sound Installation

3m x 5m x 3m. 208 channel sound, 208 speaker cones, 104 ampli ers, 26 audio interfaces, audio cables, steel, custom software.

Infrasounds drift beneath the threshold of human hearing. Despite remaining largely unresearched and unregulated, these low-frequency vibrations shape ecosystems and impact the well-being of humans and more-than-humans.

Phonos is a sculptural installation of 208 recycled speakers – each one restored, stripped of its cone, and reprogrammed to receive a unique infrasound. Too small to voice these signals into the air, the speakers reveal their mechanical effort: coils vibrate, membranes ripple in tension and metallic components creak. An algorithm modelled on collective animal behaviour sequences their movements into an ever-changing polyrhythm of tremors and buzzes.

Despite its monumental scale, Phonos invites closeness. The sculpture becomes a living organism that breathes and pulsates, creating an intimate, shared experience to attune to imperceptible acoustic ecologies. Through embodied listening, Phonos offers a space to relate to and care for the sonic worlds that hold us.

Credits:

Commission: Fundació Phonos

Idea | Production | Design | Construction: Marc Vilanova

Structure designed and created in collaboration with: 2monos

Metal Work: Alejandro Dumon, Ivan Mena

Hardware and Software: Alfredo Ardia

Installation Support: Venus Villa, Mateu Targa, Joan Perramon, Júlia Faura

Help: Giovanna Langone, Arantxa Boyero, Llorenç Balaguer, Joan Manel Pérez, David Chia, Gil Roca, Marc Ramis, Montse López, Berenice Moran, Caro Palmeiro, Alexis Castellano, Fernando Garcia-Valiño, Alejandra Andrés, Pedro Ramoneda, Teresa Pelinski, Lucas Elías, Joaquín Molina, Matías Tolchinsky

Special Thanks: Jordi Alomar, Ángel Faraldo, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carles Pons, Lluís Campos, Anna Benet, Mar Medinyà, Iris Yirei Hu, Philippe Dumon, Nicoletta Mantoan, Família Vilanova Pinyol, Can Timoner, Konvent Puntzero

Support: Fundació Phonos, OSIC, Fabra i Coats, Casal Solleric, Museu de la Música, Auditori de Barcelona, Institut Ramón Llull

Photos: Anna Benet

Available for booking