Voice Path

“Voice Path” is a voice-activated audiovisual installation that unfolds along the pedestrian path connecting the museum’s main building with Gamboa Hall. Hundreds of spotlights located along the length of the footpath create parallel lines that respond to visitors’ voices. Two intercoms at either end serve as the input points: silence is interpreted as zero intensity, while sound modulates the brightness of each light, producing a series of pulses that echo participants’ messages in a Morse-like code. Once a message is recorded, the system loops it back through the nearby lights and loudspeakers, making the path both a display and a soundscape of recent contributions.

As new people participate, earlier recordings are pushed down the array of lights, so that the installation’s “memory” is continually recycled—older messages fade as newer ones arrive, forming an ever-evolving archive of voice and light that emphasizes the ephemeral nature of dialogue and presence. When no one is participating live, a selection of archival sound recordings from the Fonoteca Nacional, curated by Tito Rivas, activates the piece, creating a historical echo that coexists with recently recorded messages—a dynamic record of collective expression.

General info

Spanish name:
Calzada de Voces
Year of creation:
2025
Technique:
LED spotlights, speakers, intercoms, loudspeakers, computer, coded in OpenFrameworks.

Credits

  • Curated Archive by Tito Rivas, Fonoteca Nacional
  • Design, Development, and Production:
  • Antimodular Studio, Montreal — Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Karine Charbonneau, Stephan Schulz, Saraid Wilson, Agnès Dakroub, Daniela Silva, David Robert, Emily Green, Guillaume Tremblay, Hugo Daoust, Jade Séguéla, Jean Madore, Jess Blanchet, Lauria Clarke, Matthieu Vanier, Maude Blais, Michael Nardone, Tim Belliveau, Véronique Dufour, Veronica Rha, William Sutton
  • Production and Technical Support:
  • Proyectos Especiales – Arte Abierto — Roberto Velazquez, Laura Vieco, Erika Loana Rivera, Daniel Ricaño, Pascal Schneuwly, Edgar Abraham Orozco, Jahir Emmanuel Osorio, Pavel Gustavo Cortez, Rogelio Martínez, José Daniel García, Victor Fernando Mendoza, Leonardo Yael Reyes, Felix Adrian Mendoza, Alfredo Mendoza Reyes, Carlos López, Diego López

Bibliography