This artistic and participatory project aims to raise public awareness about the pollution of the Cradle Valley’s rivers, placing water at the heart of a collaborative and immersive approach. By closely involving a group of young valley inhabitants, it invites them to listen, connect, and interact with the river flowing through their landscape, co-creating a sound and vocal composition shaped by their experiences and perceptions. Through listening workshops, recordings, and performances, participants become mediators of an unprecedented dialogue between humans and the natural environment.
Grounded in a post-dualist approach, the work transcends the traditional divide between nature and culture, giving voice to the more-than-human—the river, its currents, and its ecosystems—while establishing a relational ontology where all beings, human and non-human, coexist as equals. The project extends a dual invitation to the public: to engage in a sensory experience that demands attention, reflection, and empathy, and to re-examine our relationship with water through the verb “to listen” in all its semantic depth—to hear, to understand, and to attune.
The phrase “Listen to Me,” translated into local languages and dialects, takes the form of an urgent call—that of the river and its environment, amplified by the voices of its inhabitants. Through collective artistic practices (performances, sound installations, improvisations), the project transforms this call into a shared experience, where active listening, transmission, and collective harmonization lay the foundation for a new alliance between humans and their land.
The earth-etched sculpture will be accompanied by the original vinyl record containing the groove. The compositions, born from the collaborative process and on-site recordings, will be accessible online via QR-code-equipped stations within the exhibition. These works will later be published in a subsequent release.