ichorous // 2023
ichorous // 2023
ichorous // 2023
ichorous // 2023
// two fountains. two interactive sound installations. a renewed sense of place.
“Ichor” (Latin ichorous) is described in classical literature as a life-giving, ethereal substance circulating in the veins of gods and immortals. In Cretan mythology, the bronze guardian Talos—crafted by Daedalus—derived his strength from a single vein filled with this golden fluid, while Plato later referred to ichor as a refined and “calm” blood serum.
The project “ichorous” translates this mythological concept into a contemporary artistic framework through two interactive sound installations that reactivate a historic monument and reposition it as a site of cultural encounter. Central to the project is the metaphor of ichor flowing through the body: just as veins distribute vital fluid, the conceptual “network” between the two fountains operates as a system of interconnected pathways through which sound circulates. By employing sound as the primary medium, the project establishes a renewed relationship between local history, material heritage, and sound art, metaphorically restoring the monument’s once-flowing golden water as an audible, dynamic presence that invites public engagement and critical reflection.
How does one instictively move to a source of sound coming from a fountain that no longer flows? What memories and traces does this condition awaken and recall? Can a fountain that once served as a place of gathering, interaction, and interweaving among people of different ages and cultures alter the spatial dynamics when the source of its activity shifts to an unexpected soundscape?
// An autonomous feedback loop sound installation
Using the Pure Data programming environment, an autonomous algorithmic instrument was developed that remains open to external sonic interaction. At its core, it's is a noise oscillator routed through a band-pass filter to simulate the texture of water droplets. The installation operates with two wireless speakers and two wireless microphones placed in the basement of the fountain. Depending on the output level, the system generates a range of audio phenomena through feedback: the signal feeds back into the microphone inputs, passes through various programmed processes, and shifts from dense noise to delicate, water-like textures.
A secondary PD patch links microphone input volume to the playback speed of the system, while an automated sound engine—based on recordings of the artist Sofia Sarri—adds another layer of responsive behavior. The pitch of the droplet-like sounds is influenced by the pitch of external audio entering the microphones. In essence, the more the patch is “pushed” by external input, the more intense and noisy its response; in a quiet environment, it settles into a calm and subtle sonic state. This interplay between external influence and system behavior formed a central conceptual principle in the development of the project.
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// composition for violin, piano, voice and pervolitsa sounds for eight speakers
Following on-site research into the social and acoustic characteristics of Pervolitsa, sixteen sounds were selected for the installation. These are played randomly through eight small speakers distributed throughout the space, encouraging the public to move through the area and gradually discover violin, piano, voice, and pre-recorded environmental sounds. Many secondary sounds were recorded by actively “playing” objects found on site—for example, the rusted metal door at the entrance of the chapel of Panagia, whose tonal qualities later informed the violin and piano recordings.
The composition was created to encourage participants to become familiar with the site and explore it through attentive listening. Rather than masking the natural environment, the sound installation aims to complement it, leaving intentional sonic gaps so the existing soundscape can remain present. This carefully crafted balance invites visitors to notice subtle acoustic details and form a deeper connection with the area.
All audio materials were organized in Logic Audio on sixteen tracks to create a 52-minute reference composition structured into thirteen four-minute patterns. Although the final installation deconstructs this composition—since the patterns play randomly and will never be heard in the same sequence—the reference version served to refine the relationships between sounds and ensure aesthetic coherence. A central concern throughout the process was maintaining a balance between the composed elements and the natural soundscape, allowing the environment to “breathe” and remain an integral part of the listening experience.
The two sound installations, located at the Turkish Underground Fountain in Splantzia Square and at the Spring of Pervolitsa, foreground both the affinities and contrasts revealed through a visit to each site. The interplay of these similarities and differences forms the conceptual core of the project.
Although distinct in their spatial design and presentation, the installations intentionally borrow structural and sonic elements from one another. For example, the violin recordings heard at Pervolitsa were captured inside the Underground Fountain of Splantzia. Conversely, architectural parameters from Splantzia—such as the sequence of 26 descending steps—serve as key inputs for the compositional algorithm that generates and deconstructs the musical material presented at Pervolitsa. Together, the two works function as autonomous yet interlinked sound installations that invite the public to engage, explore, and contribute to their unfolding sonic experience.
DEVELOPED BY DUMASTAR
//credits
Artistic research and development: Fotini Kokkali, Dimitris Barnias // presented in Chania, Crete, between October 23-27, 2023 supported by Anoixta Pania, KEPEDICH-KAM and the Municipality of Chania
Music composition: Dimitris Barnias, Fotini Kokkali
Music programming: Dimitris Barnias
Collaborators: Sofia Sarri/vocals, Demosthenes Kouros/ video
Special thanks to Myrto Lavda, Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania, Akis Pitsanis, Alexia Katsanevaki