Rainzonances 5 description

Rainzonances5 is the 5th edition of the ongoing project Rainzonances founded in 2008 by sound artist Antonis Antoniou. It explores the "Aural Aura" of the Cyprus Cultural Centre, an establishment that was scheduled to be constructed in the centre of Nicosia, but due to the financial crisis that hit the island in March 2013, the whole project was inevitably postponed and possibly even abandoned. The tone of suspension is vividly manifest in the surrounding area in which this whole "new era" of Cypriot cultural life would have blossomed. The vision of a bright cultural future, which was supposedly one of the potential outcomes of this conception – at least for some people – could be sensed hovering above the eucalyptus trees, the arbitrary parking lot and the information room with the imposing façade displaying the architectural model of the building. The aural aura of the space is characterized by this adjournment and uncertainty, a space scheduled to take a tangible form but that will possibly never get there; a phantom, a vision, a possibility.

What does this bodiless structure sound like? Like a sound with no palpable source, it belongs to the spectral horizon and this could be the reason why sound could be the most suitable medium employed for commenting on such a condition.

How does the passer-by, who is aware of this ambitious scheme, experience the site? Architectural designs and a plethora of promotional expositions would certainly enable the forming of a reflection of this body in their perception; a mental ambience, an imaginary soundscape, a background noise sounding this anticipation, this lacuna, this unfulfilled course.

The project goes further and touches upon the social and political issues that arose following the decision to found and erect this cultural center. Much heated debate has developed around the subject, ever since the conceptualization of the idea:

-       - Such an establishment would be over-excessive for Cyprus standards, while the arts scene in general, suffers from lack of funding.

-       - The foundation would engage mostly the élite and would be oriented around their specific aesthetic angle.

The Cyprus Cultural Center scenario may also be seen as a live manifestation of the Cypriot financial crisis, both mentally and physically. It reflects the vain reverie of society, a society that dreams of suddenly transforming into something else, pretending that it has succeeded in revamping its character.

The deterioration of the site is also a manifestation of this crisis. Verity is accumulated in this site, in the huge corroded advertisement right in front of the Information Office. The voices of the children’s choir are gradually dampening and distorting matching the pictures’ fading to white. In a similar manner time blurs the aspiration and nature claims the site back. The grandiose building with its vast outdoor spaces still functions as a disordered parking lot filled with a variety of interesting rubbish, connecting us to its histories.

A space flirting with the meaning of place but failing to accomplish this in a physical sense; it does so just on an imaginary level. A site haunted by violin pizzicato notes, sophisticated ballet steps, exotic percussion rhythms and reverberant reflections of voices, that succeeds its goal on another dimension. We merely need to make use of our extended ear to be able to listen to these echoes; to form the aural aura of this place; our intimate and personal aural aura.

Rainzonances5, like all projects under the Rainzonances umbrella, has a collaborative, interdisciplinary character. It consists of 5 distinct works that will occur following an unscheduled routine, during the months of March and April 2014. The audience does not necessarily need to attend the happenings, as the whole idea behind the project is for it to have a spontaneous and unexpected character. In other words, the "real-time" audience would be the random passerby. All 5 works will be documented and presented on this blog, especially designed for the purpose of this project.

The artists and their works

1.Stelios Kallinikou w Antonis Antoniou – Sonic Posters (online)

2.Demetris Soteriou (Rock the dog) w Antonis Antoniou – Giant Ear (place-specific wheat-paste poster)

3.Antonis Antoniou – Ambient Frequencies (place-specific sound installation) 
4.Ariana Alphas w Melissa Garcia Carro – ΠΡΟΣΕΧΩΣ (place-specific video performance)

5. Melita Couta - I think I thought I saw you try (place-specific installation)
6. Harris Kafkarides – Act Zero (place-specific installation / performance)