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Cuerpos de agua. Introductory workshop on sound art and DIY hydrophone construction

Water, as a primordial source of life, currently faces issues that demand our attention and creativity. Growing scarcity in various regions of the world, the pollution of rivers, streams, brooks, lagoons, seas, and other bodies of water – conceived as interconnected parts of a whole – along with the impacts of climate change, have transformed water into an indicator of the global crisis. These challenges go beyond the merely environmental, expanding into political and aesthetic dimensions, shaping a scenario where practices associated with listening and sound art emerge as fundamental strategies for addressing water in its triple role as medium, instrument, and metaphor.

The experience begins with a presentation of fundamental concepts and practices of sound art, soundscape, and acoustic ecology. Through examples, we will explore (and listen to) works by artists, collective projects, and exhibitions that address water, mostly through rivers, as a central element. This part of the workshop also includes a specialized visit through some works from the exhibitions currently in the Museum’s galleries. The purpose of this initial journey is to immerse participants in inspiring projects that reflect on water in diverse ecosystems and through different creative media.

The practical part of the workshop focuses on creating devices for listening to and recording aquatic soundscapes, such as hydrophones. Together we will explore the fundamental principles of contact microphone technology, offering the opportunity to build homemade hydrophones as valuable tools for musical, artistic, and educational projects.

At the end of the session, participants will experiment with the hydrophones, discovering rhythms, vibrations, resonances, and we will share reflections on the connection between art, sound, and water as a source of life. Participants will also receive a selected bibliography and study materials for further exploration.

About Jorge Barco
He is an artist who works at the confluence of art, science, and technology through the creation of sound devices and instruments, sculptures, installations, and field recording. In recent years, he has turned his attention to environmental issues through research in different territories of Colombia, Spain, Portugal, and Ecuador using tools he builds himself, including the Magma device; a DIY hydrophone and contact microphone used today by artists and bioacoustics researchers from different parts of the world. He has held exhibitions, workshops, and lectures at different art centers and events linked to the electronic arts movement in Latin America and Europe such as ZKM, ISEA, MediaLab Prado, CMMAS, the Museo Reina Sofia, the Museo Nacional de Colombia, the Museo de Arte de Panama, the Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Quito, among others. Barco combines his artistic work with research and curatorship. He currently works as curator of special projects and leads the programming of the Sound Experimentation Room Lab3 at MAMM.