Árbol Suspendido + Tower of Sound

During Mexico City Art Week 2022, MATERIA Contexto will transform Torre de los Vientos, an iconic inhabitable sculpture created by Uruguayan artist Gonzalo Fonseca, into space that will host the exhibition “Árbol Suspendido” by the artist Luis Javier de la Torre, and a cycle of performance “Torre de Sonida” by the performers Sites, Ramòn Sartunino and Moisés Sacal Hadid.

The exhibition is part of the artist’s mission to salvage and rewild the endemic flora and fauna surrounding the sculptures of La Ruta de la Amistad. The installation speaks about the liminal spaces within the urban context where nature can still thrive. It brings attention to the importance of protecting the environment and recognizing nature as a vital part of our existence.  De la Torre removed the top of the tower and placed a live oak tree at its center, thereby entombing nature at the interior of the tower. The upper circle becomes a visor that allows the viewer to see the movement of the foliage, the leaves and its flowers, as well as revealing the chiaroscuros of the light. The spectator finds himself in the underground sub-strata looking out onto the world at the level of a tree.

In the same space will be hosted a transformative experience exploring the symbiotic relationship between sound and sculpture.

Using sound processing tools and machines built specifically for this performance – analogue synthesisers, contact microphones, live coding and other DIY digital software – the sculpture of La Torre de los Vientos will be transformed into a Hertzian space, where all surrounding sounds and signals will be processed into a sound piece. The sound performance will bring to life the playful narratives inscribed in the sculpture by its creator, Gonzalo Fonseca.