Desilence (ESP) → The Rhythm of the Ocean

19–24
  • City center
  • Videomapping

About project

The video mapping created by the Spanish-Danish studio Desilence for the building of the Municipal Library in Mariánské náměstí is a monumental dynamic fresco depicting the processes and rhythms in the depths of the ocean. Desilence invites the viewer to journey beyond the limits of ordinary experience and into the dark underwater currents that periodically carry away vital resources. The projection is a visual concert and a dancing riot of colours, while surprising with the sound design of an analogue synthesizer by American musician Suzanne Ciani. Viewers are thus treated to a riveting look at one of the most important factors in maintaining the balance of climatic parameters necessary to sustain life on the planet as a wild and untamed element. For the paradox of maintaining balance is constant movement.

Artist

The Barcelona-based creative duo Desilence is made up of Tatiana Halbach (Spain) and Søren Christensen (Denmark). Desilence is a multidisciplinary studio that has been creating audiovisual performances, art installations, and projection scenography for musical and dance performances since 2005. Desilence professes a love for painting and movement, the beauty hidden in a nascent idea and the diligence in striving for balance. They combine research and creativity with meticulous attention to detail and refinement of each project's creative process.

A five-time Grammy Award nominee and pioneer of electronic and synthetic music, Suzanne Ciani is one of the most distinctive creators of contemporary music. She composes and performs using the Buchla synthesizer, created in the 1960s by Don Buchla. Notable among her many awards is the Moog Music Innovation Award, which she received in 2017 at the Moogfest electronic music festival as the first woman ever to receive it.

Location

The building of the Municipal Library in Mariánské náměstí is traditionally one of the busiest points of the Signal Festival, thanks to the intersection of the streets. This time, the austere Neoclassical building formed a perfect counterpoint to the dynamic video mapping of ocean waves projected on its façade. Designed in the 1930s by František Roith, the generous space of the façade made the library one of the most modern buildings in Europe at the time. Its simple mass is counterbalanced by the Art Deco elements inside. Outside, it is a historic yet unusually modern large screen, perfect for a dynamic projection by Desilence.

Supported by

  • Partner of the installation

    Česká televize

  • Partner of the installation

    Ramon Llull institut

  • Supported by

    Christie Digital

  • Supported by

    Moje Mariánské

  • Supported by

    Prague 1

  • Supported by

    Městská knihovna v Praze