August artist: Cristian Subira
Over the past twenty years, I have explored the sonic spectrum through many different aesthetics, gradually shifting my focus from styles and conventions toward sound itself: the resonance of bodies, things, and environments. My practice resists fixed forms, embracing amateurism not as a lack of rigor, but as a way to remain open — a space of constant beginnings, where trial and error shape new connections and prevent stagnation.
I am particularly interested in the intersections between ecology, urban development, tourism, and technology, and in how acoustic phenomena can provoke reflection on our place within larger systems.
My summer stay in Finland was supported by the Kone Foundation through a grant for my project Signal Extraction. This sound piece was developed from recordings in and around Sipoonkorpi National Park, where trees acted as natural antennas capturing inaudible electromagnetic frequencies. The project listens to how noise, energy, and human infrastructures seep across boundaries, questioning what it means for a space to be “protected,” while also inviting us to hear the subtle ways technology and extractivism shape even our most remote environments.
My final residency period in Bollstad, near Fiskars, provided the perfect closure to this process. The secluded rural atmosphere — quiet walks, encounters with deer, swims in Degersjön lake — offered both distance and clarity, allowing me to reflect on earlier phases spent in suburban Vantaa and urban Kallio. These shifting contexts mirrored the project itself: a dialogue between diverse environments, lifestyles, and ways of listening.
One of my primary interests lies in the connections that emerge during any process. I view these connections not as commodities but as invaluable elements at the core of any creative endeavor. In this case, the most meaningful bond was not with people but with the place itself — with its silence, its rhythms, and its non-human inhabitants.
As my work continues to question speed, efficiency, and superficial productivity, the embrace of this “slow lifestyle” has been a profound experience. I return to Barcelona with more than a finished project: I return with the conviction that maybe i’m able to live differently. My time in Bollstad has strengthened my determination to leave the city behind and move toward a life more deeply connected with the non-human world — rooted in the countryside and oriented toward building a resilient, supportive community.
---
