Audio Control Turn on Yuval's sonic flow

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Audio Control Turn on Yuval's sonic flow
Audio Control

Collective exhibition

Milan Design and Art Week – Parenti Art & Design District
Bagni Misteriosi, Milan, Italy – 4 – 19 September 2021

Yuval Avital’s site-specific installation in the Sala Mosaico features fifteen sound sculptures, including “Heart of Etna” (2021), a Corten steel cube resonating with the infrasonic song of Sicily’s volcano, and two groups of seven “Singing Masks” (2019) created in dialogue with Tuscan master craftsmen.

“The sound sculptures are articulated in a complex of voices and sounds, recalling celestial choruses and inserting themselves in a dimension of secular rituality.
The dialogue between the installation and the place is manifested in an evident distributive logic of the installation, such as the doors on either side of the nave, which stand as a symbolic passage to a deeper dimension of the soul, offering various perspectives of interpretation and fruition to the visitor.
In this way, the Sala dei Mosaici is transformed into an immersive work, integrating relations between the visible and invisible, the individual and the collective, delving into the stratification of ancestral horizons and everyday practices.
The audience is thus accompanied on a dreamlike journey by the words and mantric chanting diffused by the masks, in a shifting perceptive dimension with a deliberately alienating effect, on the borderline between physical and mental terrain.”
Excerpt from the exhibition text

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Massive Sonic Works:

/ˈmæsɪv ˈsɒnɪk wɜːrks/

Large-scale performances using collective participation to create powerful sound masses.

Yuval Avital’s “Massive Sonic Works” or “Opera di Massa Sonora” involves the creation of large-scale performances that utilize collective participation to craft a unique sound experience. These works focus on forming powerful sound masses through the collaboration of numerous performers, exploring new possibilities through sound rituals. The compositions often include graphic visual elements, written music, and easy-to-read instructions to allow interpretation by individuals without prior musical experience. This approach, sometimes involving hundreds of participants, aims to create what can be described as “crowd music.”

Some key works in Avital’s repertoire include:

– GARON (2012): An opera for 45 bass tubas do, percussions, and a crowd of performers.

– KARAGATAN (2013): A composition for 100 gongs and bamboo in the Philippines.

– REKA (2014): Commissioned by the Warsaw Autumn Festival and co-produced by the MiTo festival in Milan, involving traditional singers from unique cultures such as Tibetan, Zulu, Sardinian, Mongolian, and Samarkand traditions.

One of Avital’s significant compositions is MISE EN ABÎME, a milestone work that marks the beginning of his “Massive Sonic Works” series. Premiered in 2011, this composition involves a large ensemble of 100-200 non-musician vocalists, accordions, bass tubas, soprano, bass clarinet, percussions, didgeridoo, and conductors directing the performance in an immersive setup.

Another notable work is URLA, an immersive sonic experience with over 300 performers, showcasing diverse musical traditions in Matera, Italy. This piece combines traditional elements with modern instrumentation, theatrical actions, and innovative technological approaches, reflecting Yuval Avital’s interdisciplinary and transcultural artistic vision.

Yuval Avital’s creations blend complexity, cultural diversity, and technological innovation to create immersive and participatory sonic experiences that push the boundaries of traditional music composition and performance.