ichorous w// 2023
// If you were the storm, the river, the drop, how would you sound?
The children’s workshop functioned as an extension and complement to ichorous, translating the installations’ themes into an experiential learning process. Designed for children aged 8–12, the activity used sound-based games to cultivate acoustic and environmental awareness, echoing the project’s focus on listening as a mode of understanding place.
Drawing inspiration from the installations’ exploration of water as a vital, circulating element, the workshop invited children to sonically “animate” a water source using their voices, specially designed props created at the TUC TIE Lab, and simple everyday objects. In this way, the workshop transformed the conceptual ideas of ichorous into participatory practice, allowing young participants to explore sound as a primary medium of expression while deepening their engagement with the themes of flow, connection, and attentive listening at the heart of the project.
Beyond the initial exploratory phase, the activity progressed into a structured sound creation process in which the children engaged in live recording sessions enhanced with real-time audio effects. Through guided free improvisation, they collectively developed a sonic composition that narrated the diverse states and behaviors of water—such as streams, rainfall, storm dynamics, and snow. This process not only foregrounded sound as an expressive medium for representing environmental phenomena but also enabled the learners to conceptualize hydrological transformations through embodied, multisensory, and collaborative artistic practice.
//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
Special thanks to Myrto Lavda, Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania, TUC TIE lab