interactive immersive sound installation
iron, coin sensor, immersive sound system, synthesized pyrotechnic sound materials
ARTICLE - RESEARCH / scintilla*
CHIESA is an installation that boldly manifests an artificial sonic threshold for a new form of ritual celebration. By inserting a coin into the dysfunctional offertory, participants can alter the state of the ritual space. In this piece, the composer takes on the role of a pyrotechnic artist and scenographer of spatial noise, crafting an artificial environment that is constantly in tension, balanced on the brink of ephemeral celebration. ;)
The sound installation CHIESA presents a threshold between two different liminal states. This threshold is physically embodied by a religious offering, created through a dysfunctional offertory built as a sheet metal reproduction of the real object. It is placed within a room that simulates the reverberation of a church, where every movement of visitors is amplified and convoluted within this immersive fictitious sonic space. Visitors are invited to leave an offering, which the offertory does not retain but instead rejects, tossing the coin to the ground and transcending the material (and economic) plane by immediately triggering a series of celebratory simil-pyrotechnic sounds. The rejected offering transforms into a sonic applause, a vibrant and sardonic assault from the immersive system to the visitors.
CHIESA originates from Pierpaolo Ovarini's research into the compositional and ethno-sonological analysis of cultural phenomena identified as religious rituals, particularly those characterized by their pyrotechnic spectacularization from a sonic perspective. These secular observances have fostered traditions and sonic symbologies within acoustic communities, centered around sequences of explosions, each with distinct and specific characteristics. Through meticulous calibration and planning by pyrotechnic artists, these explosions exhibit a unique timbre and envelope. The rhythmic sequence of explosive events is not random but follows a specific formal template. This involves the precise selection of various types of explosive devices, special movements of firewheels, balanced series of fireworks of different sizes, and the strategic use of space within the community's landscape (such as a church, sanctuary, ground, air, or water, whether nearby or far away). The specific chemical compositions of pyrotechnic devices have established a sonic symbology for each reference community within local ritual processes, deeply embedded in their sonic subconscious.
The liminal potential of this ritual sonic symbology is crucial for the reaffirmation of the specific social structures of communities.