On October 20, German artist Florian Dombois, joined by thirteen artists from the Puerto Rican archipelago, conducted a public rehearsal of sound kites at the lighthouse in the Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo. These kites, referred to as “Triple Instruments,” function as producers of sound created by the interaction of three elements: humans, prefabricated objects, and the non-human world. The kites translate the wind into sounds perceptible to the human ear.
Simultaneously, another group of artists in Sils Maria, Switzerland, flew their sound kites, sending their sounds to Puerto Rico, creating a unique connection. The kites responded to the wind’s intensities and directions, subtly translating them into vibrations and sounds that became audible. The Triple Instruments consist of a kite, a piano string replacing the traditional thread used to fly kites, and a resonating box attached to the string, much like a guitar or violin.
“Triple Instrument” by Florian Dombois, at the lighthouse in the Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve
Other artists created various instruments, ranging from simple to complex. For example, a metallic flag installed at the lighthouse entrance swayed with the wind—sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully—making the incessant air currents visible in another act of translation: the wind became visible through the flag’s undulations.
Metallic Flag by Carola Cintrón Moscoso
One of the interventions involved an electric piano played by tree branches. Artists Jaime and Javier Suárez tied transparent threads to the branches of a sea grape tree. At the other end of each thread, they attached pieces of branches found on-site. The threads were then extended to a piano placed at a distance on a raised structure. The tree’s movement caused the threads to rise and fall, pressing the piano keys; the music was created by the wind interacting with the trees’ movements.
Piano by Jaime y Javier Suárez
More than 200 visitors to the lighthouse at the Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo reflected on the intricate relationships between humans, flora, and wind. These collective and sensory experiences, facilitated through the tools of art, offer alternative ways of existing in Nature, of which we are an integral part. The event emphasized an action-in-relationship: the music—or sound—of the instruments would not have been possible without the wind, just as humans cannot exist without it.
We extend our gratitude to all the artists who participated in Fajardo, as well as those in Switzerland who shared their experience virtually, reinforcing that, even across distances, our efforts to conserve the environment are both shared and creative.
Participating Artists:
Rebecca Adorno Dávila, Florian Dombois, Carola Cintrón Moscoso, Fabian Gutscher, Sascha Jösler, Leonardo Olazagasti, Steve Maldonado Silvestrini, Payola Isabel Hernández Rosario, Danny Rivera Cruz, Guillermo Rodríguez, Zuania Colón, Joel Rodríguez, Chemi Rosado Seijo, Marxz Rosado, Jaime & Javier Suárez.
Explore the activity through this photo gallery and video of this sonic encounter. Learn more about the “Triple Instruments” project at About – World Wide Wind.