Our existence is governed by an inherent mechanism that defines the primary teleology of life. We are inextricably bound to the inevitable processes of being within the dual categories of Space and Time. While these are often perceived merely as physical boundaries, it is crucial to recognize that they attain their phenomenological validity only through the displacement of the physical body. Space and time are not static containers; they are active dimensions generated by the movement and presence of the subject.

Through this artistic research, I navigated the liminal space where the physical body transitioned into alternative modes of representation. The project addressed a series of critical ontological questions:

What transpired at the precise moment when the somatic presence was transmuted into a different formal state?

What was the fate of the “subject” once the biological cycle concluded, and what remained within the consciousness of those who had existed in close proximity to the departed?

How could one characterize the specificities of a thought process that integrated Memory as its foundational and indispensable element?

The conceptual core of this work was anchored in the history of the Jewish cemetery in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Following a series of historical ruptures, the Jewish community had departed from the city, yet they had left behind one of its most evocative and “silent” landmarks—a cemetery that continued to function as a living archive of the absent.

This site existed as a heterotopia: a space where the community was no longer physically present, yet their memory was spatially and materially solidified, creating a profound “loneliness of memory.”

The project was realized as a site-specific sound installation. The acoustic layer was constructed from field recordings (phonography) gathered within the contemporary urban environment surrounding the cemetery. These “found sounds”—the rhythmic pulse of traffic, fragments of distant conversations, and the ambient mechanical hum of the modern city—were meticulously collected and recontextualized.

By juxtaposing the restless, profane sonic texture of the living city with the sacred stillness of the necropolis, the installation created a liminal acoustic space.

This sonic collage served as a bridge between the present day and the forsaken memory of the community.

The sound acted not as music, but as a “vibrational presence” that occupied the void left by the physical body, making the invisible tension between life and death audible!

The project was implemented in the form of sound installation.

2013

“MIGRATION”, gallery “Officina delle Arti”, “Bee-live”, Reggio Emilia, Italy.

With the support of:

“Bee-live”, Reggio Emilia (IT)

 Bergen Academy of Art and Design, Bergen (NO)