Mathias Arrignon/ to the hum of the forest
Exhibition Dates: September 15 - October 17, 2025
Gallery Hours: Work activated from sunset to sunrise each day
ICOSA Collective is proud to present a hybrid radio documentary and electro-acoustic piece by Mathias Arrignon: to the hum of the forest
Synopsis
On the threshold of pastoral pulsations, pilgrim legends and aerial contrails of the Swiss army, a sycamore tree stands peacefully on the edge of the Heiligkreuz forest, nestled in the mountainous regions of the Lucerne canton. Like a living monument, it is shrouded in vegetal memories where the deep time is infused in the narrative, gradually unfolding a sensitive reading of the environment in its most intimate geological strata. In spite of its rootedness, the tree suggests a motion to its audience, a walk which would allow one to feel closely tied to the liminality of the woods, as if the sensation of an ineffable reality would become almost tangible.
Context
May 2022, To the hum of the forest is a sound piece produced during the artist's participation in the Anthropos Ex residency program in the UNESCO biosphere of the Entlebuch (CH). Using field recordings and internal sounds of trees made with contact microphones (custom-designed by Marcus Maeder), the composer blends this forestry layer with his feeling of the site by intertwining elements of sonic diarism and light inflections of electronic instruments.
Artist Bio
Mathias Arrignon is an artist from Val-de-Marne (France), currently residing in Glasgow and working across Europe. Driven by listening, he is using this sensitive language to foster environmental care and to narrate realities which suffer from invisibility. His works merge field recording practices, audio technology, interactive installations and participatory performances to instill forms of interconnectedness with worlds that are often more-than-human.
As a sound designer with a strong interest in media of transmission, he is working for audio-visual productions to facilitate the development of narratives whether on radiophonic waves, or through the audible strata of films and documentaries. On a more transdisciplinary level, his expertise in contemporary audio technology is also at the intersection of several fields by collaborating with other artists and design studios.
As a practitioner, his work has been presented at the 18th Biennale Architettura di Venezia, Southwark Park Galleries, Without Form Space, British Council Spark Festival, Field Kitchen Academy and Anthropos Ex. His compositions have been broadcast on Resonance FM, Phonurgia Nova and Sonic Matter. In 2020, he won a Sound of the Year Award granted by the British Library and the New BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
About Soundscapes
The Soundscape Project consists of sound works played via an outdoor stereo system in the breezeway at the Canopy Complex (916 Springdale Road), from sundown to sunset each day. Each month ICOSA will feature a new sound artist, culled from local, national, and international artist submissions. Each monthly featured artist’s work will be played on a loop and will be accessible to the public free of charge. The Soundscape Project provides sound artists a unique and specific platform for their work, dedicated to the act of listening. For more information and to apply please follow this LINK
Mathias Arrignon/ to the hum of the forest
Exhibition Dates: September 15 - October 17, 2025
Gallery Hours: Work activated from sunset to sunrise each day
916 Springdale Rd, Bldg 2, #102
Austin, TX 78702
www.icosacollective.co
