MAKING ALL VOICES OF THE CITY HEARD
Year: 2024
As part of: S+T+ARTS AIR residency
In partnership with: Pina Cultural Center (Slovenia), In4arts, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.
Science Collaborators: Thalia Diniaco,
Othmane Hayoun Mya, Ruben Chazarra Gil.
Art collaborators: Mauricio Valdes San Emeterio
Exhibited at: Epica La Fura dels Bauls, Manifesta 15.
Listening to urban wildlife through the lense of machine learning
Antoine Bertin invites us to rethink our relationship with the city by listening to the voices of other-than-human species. Using digital listening—combining field recording and AI—he gathered day and night vocalizations of urban wildlife (birds, bats) over continuous recording periods. In collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, these sounds were mapped to urban spaces, revealing how other-then-human inhabitants communicate across different urban layers of space and time.
The project explores artistic strategies, technological development, and conceptual advancements for integrating other-than-human species into city design.
The research culminated in a two day festival at Epica La Fura dels Bauls in Badalona, where AI-drive urban vocalisations maps were woven into a 15mn audio narrative performed live by Antoine and the researchers on stage together.
