Outdoor Installation for the « Art en plein air 2011 » group exhibition in Môtiers, Switzerland (June 19 – September 18 2011).

Materials: concrete, plexiglas, steel, painting, plastic. Dimensions: 8 x 3 x 1.5 m

The installation Reversible Sound Wall is an eight-meter-long transparent acoustic screen, constructed according to European industrial standards typically used for highway noise mitigation in residential or natural areas. The wall has been erected in a secluded forest location, surrounded by a quiet, diffuse natural sound field with no immediate human-made noise sources. The construction’s visual function is brought to the fore; the transparent screen acts as both a frame for the landscape and a mirror reflecting it.

While the installation’s title refers to the screen’s original acoustic purpose, its eight structural panels have been assembled in an alternating sequence, facing both sides of the construction. This creates a perfectly symmetrical object whose design no longer distinguishes between a “noisy” side and a “protected” side. The visitor finds themselves positioned simultaneously as a potential noise emitter and receiver, experiencing a reversible phenomenon where cause and effect are interchangeable.

The installation has been realized in collaboration with Ecoval.