Sound describes the character of space and informs about it, its limits and extensions. It can transform the identity of a place and restructure it. Being conscious about the significance of architecture beyond its spatial dynamics, this work develops direct links between architectural space and memory. Elements of time and decay are represented through the concept of sound mapping and soundscape, putting emphasis on the sonic representation of specific location.

As a reaction to both spatial and historical context, the experimental theatre of Tripoli designed by Oscar Niemeyer has been used as a sound performance space due to its unique acoustic qualities. Abandoned since the Lebanese civil war, the concrete shell creates intense sound refraction and reverberating echoes. Employing a process of reactivating a sleeping place and give back voice to it, the reinforcement bars hanging from the dome are triggered in order to produce an intense clinking noise. Since the building is flooded, soundwaves bounce repeatedly between the concrete cupola and the water surface, forming space vibrations. With steel rods bouncing and hitting on each other, space is occupied by these violent shakes that are reminiscent of conflict and instability as sound changes constantly. Through these vibrations, sound is converted to a sense of touch, creating the acoustic signature of the building that stands as a landmark of abandonment.

How does individual experience and background affect the way we look at things? How do we understand and contextualize an exhibit? Is it important to decipher everything? Is it possible to perceive art by purely intellectual means?

Artefacts can be symbolically shaped. They reflect history and can inform of their time and the reason made for. Examining the language of representation, this project is about understanding the purpose of objects and reinterpret their qualities as sources of inspiration and knowledge. Implicit of the notion of the ‘museum’ or ‘gallery’ as places of adding value to artefacts, the concept of meaning and rationale arises from the relationship between artist and audience. Challenging the various ways of questioning the content of an exhibit and making alternative interpretations of history from it, work examines the traditional conventions of displaying in relation to expectations of the viewer. Interested in the feeling of obscurity by evoking a sense of puzzlement through reforming the object, the limits of perceiving are challenged raising questions about importance and the causes signifying it.