Davide Quayola

Captives

Davide Quayola‘s Captives exhibition is an ongoing series of digital and physical sculptures, a contemporary interpretation of Michelangelo’s unfinished series “Prigioni” (1513-1534) and his technique of “non-finito”. The work explores the tension and equilibrium between form and matter, man-made objects of perfection and complex, chaotic forms of nature. Whilst referencing Renaissance sculptures, the focus of this series shifts from pure figurative representation to the articulation of matter itself. As in the original “Prigioni” the classic figures are left unfinished, documenting the very history of their creation and transformation. Mathematical functions and processes describe computer-generated geological formations that evolve endlessly, morphing into classical figures. Industrial computer-controlled robots sculpt the resulting geometries into life-size “unfinished” sculptures.

Learn more about Quayola’s work in this recent article, published in The Independent.

Sound Approach

The soundscape in this exhibition was based on the sounds of continuously transforming stone materials, visualised on 6 independent LCD screens in the space. I designed characteristic sonic textures, sourced from recordings of marble and other stone materials to create a synced sound design for each of the 6 video channels. A full-range loudspeaker, playing the corresponding audio, was positioned close to each screen in the exhibition space. Each channel contributed one voice to the 6-channel soundscape of stone sounds, which meandered throughout the room. The closer visitors came to each screen, the more the sonic details became apparent.

3-Channel Sound Design Excerpt

“brilliant use of audio, which variously sounds like glaciers groaning, trees being uprooted, or the deep sounds of Earth’s tectonic plates moving. ” 

– Vice/Creators Project