The long howl of a wolf and
singing birds are among the sounds of nature that create a
magical music played inside the ruins of Rome's Baths of
Caracalla as part of an installation by American composer Alvin
Curran.
The installation in the evocative archaeological setting,
called 'Omnia flumina Romam Ducunt' (all rivers lead to Rome),
promoted by Rome's special superintendency, is open until
January 13.
The acoustic language of lions, wolves, blackbirds and water,
along with the verses of poets, are mixed by the 80-year-old
American composer with electronic sounds, percussions, sounds
from the Brooklyn bridge and a fragment dedicated to Demetrio
Stratos, the frontman of Area in the 1970s, an experimental
lyricist and multi-instrumentalist.
Speaking about the installation, Curran said that, "real
words come out of the walls, tunnels and bird nests of this
monument, which is one of the most beautiful in the world and
becomes a natural theater in this case".
"My work is based on two simple principles: each sound is
potential music, the use of nature itself and of sites".
"The architecture of the Baths is like canvas receiving
strokes of sound - a canvas that will appear new and original at
each cycle and tune", continued the artist.
The composer, who is considered a leading artist in the
creation of music played outside concert halls, explained that
he used recordings of natural sounds from around the world that
he made and preserved over the years.
"The composition flows constantly and never ends".
"The starting point comes from the century-old concept of
'musique concrète' made of natural sounds - it is a sound that
comes from these ruins and moves through space".
The casual element of the music evokes John Cage's art.
Twenty loudspeakers are hidden inside the ruins of the Baths,
including eight placed underground, to create the music while
three computers are used to manage the installation.
Marina Piranomonte, the director of the Baths, said the
installation is a further step in a project to pay homage to
contemporary art, which started in 2012 with an exhibit on
sculptor Michelangelo Pistoletto and has continued with a show
on another sculptor, Mauro Staccioli.
Superintendent Francesco Proseperetti said Caracalla is "the
site most attuned to multimedia" in the Eternal City while the
artistic director of the project's promoter Ram-Radioartemobile,
Mario Pieroni noted that Rome "offers inspiration to artists who
believe" in it.
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