Apocalyptic Trumpets

"Apocalyptic Trumpets" was a project designed for the Tashkent Biennale 2018. The inspiration for the project was the unexplained phenomenon of strange noises coming from the sky, heard by people around the world since 2011. Because scientists are unable to agree about the reason for these sounds, people have been searching for other explanations, such as extraterrestrial civilizations, conspiracy theories or an announcement of the end of the world. Proponent of this theory call the sounds 'Apocalyptic Trumpets'

The case of the 'apocalyptic trumpets' is interesting from the perspective of the interaction of art and science, because it evokes people's curiosity and inspires their imagination. When science can’t give us a rational answer, we turn towards religion, magic and art. Another interesting question related to so called 'apocalyptic trumpets' is that our knowledge about this phenomenon comes from the Internet and You tube, where the video clips with recording of such sounds have been posted as proof that they really were heard. However, contemporary technology makes hoaxes possible, so we don't even know whether 'apocalyptic trumpets' were indeed heard or it was only a fake news.

Regardless of whether this phenomenon was real or not, the description of apocalyptic trumpets exists in several different cultures. We can find mentions of them in holy books (the Bible, the Quran). Such visions have inspired many artists and poets, although such events have not been scientifically attested. Art is a different kind of knowledge and we still need it, both as a contradiction and complementation of science and the technocratic world. What I proposed to the viewers of the Biennale was a kind of play with technology, imagination and creativity by using not only their sight but also the sense of hearing and involving their whole bodies in the installation.

The installation consisted of seven motion sensors launching the sounds while the viewers were walking around the room in which the sensors had been installed. Seven pieces, about one minute long, were inspired by the sounds of 'apocalyptic trumpets' and composed by Justyna Stopnicka June. The sounds were the basis for the different music compositions created by the viewers themselves, whose movement launched the sensors with sounds that depended on the amount of the people in the room and the directions of their walking.

sounds: Justyna Stopnicka June
technical support: Krzysztof Lewandowski