Carré Magique

This "apprehensive" installation is organically designed to blend in with the natural environment of the garden. Sensors and loudspeakers hidden in a square in the Vegetable Garden of Royaumont Abbey generate and modulate sound objects created by the composer Jean-Luc Hervé and modelled by the sound designer Manuel Poletti.

The music in this installation is organized in recognizable, unfixed forms, subject to great variation, in order to preserve the magic of the moment. Jean-Luc Hervé meticulously observed nature to shape these models. Like the animals, when visitors approach the sound installation too noisily, the music stops and only restarts once calm has been restored. If the walker remains motionless, discreet and on the lookout, the musical dialogue is not disturbed. If, however, he approaches the sound source in a hurry, a musical sequence of panic is triggered, accompanied by a large-scale spatial movement (like the flight of a flock of birds). Only by moving slowly forward will he be able to hear the hidden loudspeaker's song up close. Thus, Carré Magique invites us to listen, to be sensitive to what surrounds us and to be on guard.