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SYMPHONY OF THE ARTIFICIAL REEF

GENERAL INFO

FORMAT

Sound Piece

SOUND DESIGN

Institute for Postnatural Studies

YEAR

2025

COLLABORATOR

Juan Pablo Pacheco Bejarano

The Symphony of the Artificial Reef invites to engage in deep listening—to attune ourselves to the acoustic ecologies that shape this postnatural seascape: the clicking of reef-dwelling organisms, the thunder of cargo ships, the sonar pulses of survey vessels, and the electric hum of the internet pulsing through submarine cables. As ocean acidity, temperature, and microplastic pollution continue to rise, what do these materialities and life forms reveal about the future of the seafloor? What new ecologies are taking shape within artificial reefs, where human design and marine life converge and coevolve?

The Institute for Postnatural Studies and Juan Pablo Pacheco Bejarano investigated these infrastructures with the aim of understanding what they can tell us about the future of coastal seabeds. The Symphony of the Artificial Reef  is an acoustic exploration of the reef filled that incorporates its many layers: its crackles, the roar of cargo ships, the sonar of survey vessels, and the hum of buried telecommunications cables.

Barcelona’s coastline has been in constant transformation since the 15th century, when the first artificial breakwater was built—laying the foundation for what would become Barceloneta. The developments surrounding the 1992 Olympic Games and the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures accelerated this reshaping, with artificial bays and beaches constructed through breakwaters and submerged dikes. As sea levels rise in the face of climate catastrophe, what will this coastline look like by 2050?

For Manifesta 15, the Symphony unfolded across five flags positioned along the coast, each pointing toward one of the five artificial reefs offshore. Every flag hosted a movement of the symphony, accessible through an interactive QR code. A sixth listening station was located in the open space in front of the Besòs chimneys, where the full symphony could be experienced.

  • Play: SYMPHONY OF THE ARTIFICIAL REEF 10:18