Soundwalk Collective & Patti Smith: CORRESPONDENCES

CORRESPONDENCES is an ongoing collaboration between Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith, spanning over a decade and traversing diverse geographies, histories, and natural environments. At its core, the project transforms field recordings gathered by Soundwalk Collective’s founder, Stephan Crasneanscki, from some of the world’s most remote and resonant landscapes—sites of poetic inspiration, historical significance, and environmental urgency—into immersive soundscapes. These compositions awaken a "sonic memory" of place, embodying the traces of revolutionaries, artists, and the ever-pressing impact of climate change.

Through an intimate dialogue with these recordings, Patti Smith channels her poetic voice to create pieces that reflect on the intersections of nature, human history, and artistic creation. Each work subverts the traditional relationship of sound to image, allowing sonic landscapes to dictate their visual counterparts. The exhibition features eight unique audiovisual works that move from the resilience of nature in Chernobyl’s aftermath to Pasolini’s final night in the Roman wastelands. Layered throughout are sculptural elements, archival materials, handwritten texts, visual studies, and scientific data that illuminate the creative process, offering audiences a view into the profound correspondence between sound, poetry, and the fragile threads connecting humanity and the environment.