The Bench

News From Home · The Bench

On November 5, 2020 the artists occupied one particular bench under a clock in Plaça del Comerç, a central square in Sant Andreu. They sat there for a short period once every two hours from 7:00 until just before the COVID-19 curfew at 22:00. The recordings they made here are a capsule of the ambience and rhythms of the neighbourhood at that specific moment.

As you listen to this piece, can you sense the changing rhythms of the neighbourhood through the sound and silence? Can you understand any of the passing conversations? What people might you see in the street at 7:00? Why is that child screaming? What new creation might the sounds of construction tools hint at? Can you hear some ‘other-than-humans’ at this location? What might they sell at the shops here? Can you build a vision of what this location might look like?

The artists ask that you ponder such questions as you imagine you are sitting on the bench yourself on this day. Perhaps find a seat in your own location and as you listen to this work, close your eyes and let your mind wander, with the sounds and silences guiding your experience.