During the 18th edition of Art Basel in Miami Beach, the watchmaker Audemars Piguet will debut the artist Jana Winderen’s immersive sound installation “The Art of Listening: Under Water.” The installation provides visitors with a unique opportunity to listen closely to the ocean’s inhabitants and to reflect upon the ways in which human activity interferes with underwater life.
Winderen has a background in mathematics, chemistry, and fish ecology, and her practice explores audio and environments that are difficult for humans to access on their own—whether aurally or physically. By looking at the way sound travels through various materials (like soil, stone, wood, and water), she began considering how natural noise from varying environs are affected by the interruption of human activity. From this, Winderen began creating multichannel auditory installations, and even concerts, which have been presented internationally, throughout America, Asia, and Europe.
Courtesy of Audemars Piguet.
“When I make recordings in the environment, I record the whole ecosystem with the animals in it. When I am installing the sound piece, I work with the space as it is and not against it,” said Winderen.
For the Miami project with Audemars Piguet, Winderen visited Miami, where she created recordings from across the city with the use of ultra-sensitive tools like hydrophones and an ultrasound detector. By using as her point of departure the sounds of the region, Winderen was able to create a location-specific sound piece, which she hopes will bring her listeners’ attention to the fragility of our world’s delicate ecosystems.
Courtesy of Audemars Piguet.
Part of a larger collaboration between the artist and Audemars Piguet, “The Art of Listening: Under Water” will be presented at The Rotunda at Collins Park in Miami Beach.
