Nature Manifesto by Björk & Aleph: a sound installation created with AFTER technology by IRCAM
© Vidar Logi
From 20 November to 9 December, Björk and Aleph are creating a sound installation entitled Nature Manifesto, an immersive auditory experience.
Presented in the Chenille, the iconic series of glass escalators at the Centre Pompidou, a museum whose industrial architecture contrasts with nature, the work encourages us to rethink our relationship with nature and our role in preserving it through a single element: sound.
Endangered or extinct animals are given a voice, their sounds merged with our words, reminding us of the raw vitality of creatures on the brink of extinction.
The sounds used were edited by Björk in collaboration with composer Robin Meier Wiratunga, using IRCAM's AFTER technology and generative artificial intelligence models.
AFTER (Audio Features Transfer and Exploration in Real-time) is a diffusion-based generative model that creates new sounds by mixing two sources: an audio stream
to define the style or timbre and another input (audio or MIDI) to shape the structure over time.
AFTER has already been used in other projects such as :
Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst's The Call, an interactive sound installation with sung voice transfer, at London's Serpentine Gallery until 2 February 2025.
A live performance by French electronic artist Canblaster for Forum Studio Session at IRCAM. The entire concert is available on Youtube.
Nature Manifesto aims to warn humanity of the threats facing the living world, as the artist explains in an Instagram post:
View this post on Instagram
Nature Manifesto (2024, 3 min 40 s), a continuous immersive sound installation, from Wednesday 20 November to Monday 9 December in the Chenille, the Centre Pompidou's escalators.
Design: Björk and Aleph
In collaboration with : Robin Meier Wiratunga and Bergur Þórisson
Commissioned by: Les Spectacles vivants - Centre Pompidou
Ircam computer music production: Robin Meier Wiratunga
Ircam sound engineering: Luca Bagnoli, Jérémie Henrot
Scientific collaboration: Nils Demerlé (ACIDS), Philippe Esling (Ircam-STMS sound analysis and synthesis team)
Curators: Aleph Molinari & Chloé Siganos
Associate curator: Delphine Le Gatt