Subsonic Train (2018)

Subsonic Train was developed during my 2018 residency at Rucka in Cēsis, Latvia, and reflects on the sensory experience of a train moving through the Latvian landscape. This work combines an installation of aluminum objects with a sound piece composed by Yota Morimoto, creating an interplay between material, sound, and environment.

Cēsis, a small town of around 18,000 inhabitants, presents a striking juxtaposition between machine and nature. The smell of oil mingles with the aromas of flora and fauna, as overgrown tracks carve through the rural silence. In this environment, the absence of urban noise amplifies even the smallest details, offering a heightened awareness of the landscape. The sound of the train passing through creates a fragmented sense of time and an estranged orientation within the surroundings.

The aluminum objects in the installation embody this interplay. Shaped by hand with hammers over tree stumps, the sculptures capture the rhythm and materiality of the train in dialogue with the natural environment. This physical process embeds the mechanical and organic worlds into the objects themselves.

The sound installation builds on recordings I gathered during the residency, documenting the audible textures of the landscape. Speakers integrated into the aluminum objects play a looped soundscape, co-created with Morimoto. Using a programmed system, fragments of recorded conversations about the landscape are randomly arranged, replayed, and layered, creating an evolving auditory experience.

Subsonic Train invites viewers to attune themselves to the intricate relationships between machine, nature, and sound in the Latvian countryside, offering a moment to reflect on the tensions and harmonies that exist in this intersection. This project was generously supported by the Mondriaan Fonds.