The Salzkammergut region is shaped by water. While water in its liquid form is still omnipresent, the former salty sediments of water became the foundations of the settlements, the specific inheritance and even the name of the Salzkammergut region. We also find two phases in the field of sound: the flowing current that bridges the distance between a source and percipient and the sediments in the form of recordings – sound that is inscribed in the permanent materials. Project manager Thomas Grill and his team will network the communities in the region by presenting the sounds of the water in a variety of forms and, in doing so, deploy a variety of artistic strategies.
water sound flows will connect the themes of acoustic transportation and the communication with the water landscapes of the Salzkammergut region. Through compositional and performative activities, a variety of kinds of acoustic proliferation, the comprehensive use of loud speakers and various sound containers a network of sound flows over hills and through valleys will be created. The form of the sound will be continuously transformed during the journey, take on colors, tastes and scents, absorb impurities and leave remnants behind – just like the water that flows through the landscape. A multitude of recording and listening stations, both public as well as intimate, will allow the audience to take part in the water sound flows and listen to it.
The project activities will be conducted by individual groups, each with a specific focus and physically separated throughout the 2024 European Capital of Culture, yet still connected by the exchange of sound material and shared performances.