Name: Chinese Harp by Alvaro Barbosa
Duration: 3 min 14 s
Description: Some recordings of different Soundscapes from Macao during the month of April 2011. Including, Chinese Harp recordings from a live concert at the University of Saint Joseph, Birds in the street and at Lou Lim Loc Garden and street recordings of Theater and Opera.

How Long Will I Live?

Awaken For A Moment From Your Dark Night

Spirits Surround Us On Every Side

The 25 de Abril Bridge holds a special place in Portuguese history. It was originally built during the dictatorship era and was called the Salazar Bridge, named after the authoritarian leader António de Oliveira Salazar. But everything changed on April 25, 1974, during the Carnation Revolution. That day marked the end of the dictatorship, and the bridge was renamed to commemorate the event.

It's a striking sight with its red colour and expansive span across the Tagus River, connecting Lisbon to the south of Portugal. The bridge stands as a symbol of Portugal's transition to democracy and its ability to overcome adversity. It's more than just a means of transportation; it's a reminder of the country's resilience and the power of unity and change.

Although I had the chance to experience the sounds of the bridge from under it multiple times before, this was the first time I had the opportunity to record it. The sound of the vehicles going over and under the bridge creates a beautiful natural droning sound that is rich and ever-changing.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. With democracies worldwide encountering some of their most significant challenges in recent history, it is crucial to recall the significance of constructing bridges to connect with each other rather than building walls to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world.

240111 - 162919

Lisbon, April 25th, 2024.

I was born in 1983, a mere nine years after the Carnation Revolution on the 25th of April, 1974; however, my parents belong to a generation that left Portugal searching for a more promising future.

Although I have no recollection of this crucial moment in the history of the country’s democracy, I still remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, even if I lacked the maturity to understand its historical and symbolic significance for humankind.

This changed when I had the opportunity to visit Berlin during the summer of 2018 and personally saw the remnants of what once symbolised the Iron Curtain and Europe’s division.

Being in the presence of historic monuments or sites presents the opportunity to put into perspective the reality of the moments many of us have only learned from books or documentaries, bringing us tangibly closer to something that not only became part of history but also survived said history to be able to display it to us.

Around five years ago, my dear friend Pedro Jafuno showed me pictures of the Carnation Revolution, and I recognised in one of them Rua Vítor Cordon, the street where he was living at the time. This shifted my perspective, bringing me remarkably close to that reality.

The notion that the army and the people stepped on that very same pavement that day in 1974 stuck with me, and that’s when I became aware of all the places and symbols that survived history and now allow us to learn from it.

Through this work, I intend to re-enact the perspective and narrow the gap between the reality of the Portuguese people before, during, and after the 25th of April. I also intend to highlight the importance of preserving and protecting the enormous legacy of the revolution: our democracy.

Today, as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in 1974, my civic duty is to contribute so that history is not forgotten.

I hope that you won't forget either.

Jerome Faria

2504

The interaction between natural elements, such as the unaltered sounds of nature, and the presence of the Picote dam (or electrical resources), like the old electricity pole, can represent a fusion between two seemingly distinct domains. This relationship can be explored both in sensory terms, through the combination of natural sounds and sounds created by electricity, and metaphorically, reflecting on the coexistence and interdependence between nature and technology.
By addressing the relationship between nature and electricity, we engage in an artistic dialogue that harkens back to the Romantic and Impressionist movements, in which artists like Turner or Monet explored the interaction between natural and artificial light in their works. Electricity, in this context, can be seen as an extension of light, introducing new aesthetic and conceptual possibilities.
This "nat~eilétrica" can be understood within the field of sound ecology and contemporary sound art, where relationships between sound, space, and environment are explored using both field recordings and appropriate objects of natural origin to highlight the excellence and fragility of natural ecosystems. In this sound/relational installation, the role of technology in our perception of nature is discussed.
The choice of the old electricity pole as the central element of the installation can be interpreted in light of the tradition of the ready-made and direct appropriation. I am interested in subverting the original function and position of the pole to highlight its essence and symbolic connotations in a new context corresponding to origin, place, and land.
The inclusion of elements from Mirandese culture, such as the bagpipe, aims to address broader concerns about the preservation of cultural identity and traditional modes of behavior in the face of global modernization.
By considering the "nat~eilétrica" project within these broader artistic and rational arguments, we can appreciate the intimacy and complexity of the result, which not only dialogues with past traditions but also sheds light on urgent issues related to nature, culture, and technology today.

nat~eilétrica · 2023

In the pure essence of the liquid universe, where the rhythmic dance of molecules is revealed in an invisible movement, we imagine the skin of water. Under the transitory light that reflects on its surface, a picture of excellence emerges, a translucent covering that feeds the contours of the liquid environment.

The skin of the water, sculpted by time, manifests itself as an interface between two spheres: the ethereal and the aquatic. Like an abstract painting, it is both ephemeral and resilient, collecting the sun's rays with the softness of extreme choreography. In this transparent fabric, the rays of light intersect, creating a restless chromatic appearance, a spectacle of color that transcends mere physical reality.
In essence, the skin of water is a visual narrative that echoes the things of the world. Each curve, a chapter; each reflection, a magnetic insistence. At the edges of the unknown, this liquid film reveals itself as a palimpsest where past and present coexist, drawing a temporal arc that stretches from the beginning of time to the present, fleeting instant.
The skin of water, with its apparent fragility, is actually the shadow of remote secrets, the mirror that reflects the intangible essence of existence. Just looking at the skin of water can lead us to think about deeply evocative subjects that challenge our perception of nature and the world (which we mistreat) around us.
So let us reflect with reverence on this liquid and unstable veil that contains in its fabric the universal substance of which we are all a part.

A Pele da Água (the skin of water) · 2024

Some recordings of different Soundscapes from Macao during the month of April 2011. Including, Chinese Harp recordings from a live concert at the University of Saint Joseph, Birds in the street and at Lou Lim Loc Garden and street recordings of Theater and Opera.

Chinese Harp

Alvaro Barbosa

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