(text adapted from the CCCB website)
The collaborative digital platform Freesound, created in 2005 by the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having become one of the largest databases of creative-commons licensed sounds in the world. With more than 700,000 shared recordings, Freesound has emerged as a reference for musicians, artists, researchers and creators around the world. To commemorate this anniversary, the CCCB is hosting a sound installation, curated by the Freesound team in collaboration with the artist Fito Conesa, which reflects on the concept of non-material legacies, the fragility of sound, and its value as intangible heritage.
The project installs a series of cavities and acoustic devices, which promote an intimate, deep listening, connecting us with the landscapes and the situations that make up our intangible heritage. The sounds heard in this installation have been selected by a group of artists who have been invited to explore the Freesound archive and select a playlist of “Sounds to Be Protected”: rare, unique or endangered recordings that spark a reflection on the future of our sound environment.
The installation will remain open from the 23rd to the 26th of October at Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). Full schedule here. The sounds selected for the installation can also be auditioned online, together with extra information for each of the playlists and the artists who curated them. You can find the digital version of the installation here: https://fs20.freesound.org/cccb/en
Decades from now, will the sound of rain be just a memory? Or a rarity? The celebration of Freesound’s 20th anniversary is also a call to preserve the acoustic memory of the world we live in.
Credits:
- Installation curated by the Freesound team in collaboration with Fito Conesa
- The acoustic devices were developed in collaboration with Plat Institute
- The sound playlists were created by: Laura Llaneli, Alba Rihe, Roc Parés, Acoustic Heritage Collective, cantdefine.me, Cedrik Fermont, Albert Murillo, Eloïsa Matheu, Arnau Sala Saez, and Lolo & Sosaku
