Sonar System

Sonar System is an evolving ensemble of instruments developed by the Sonoscopia collective around a set of robotically controlled pipe organs. Taking the pipe organ—an instrument historically associated with communal, sacred, and concert traditions—not as an object of reconstruction but as a point of departure, the project explores new relationships between listening, technology, and collective action.

At its centre is an electronically actuated pipe organ operating in conjunction with a constellation of satellite sound modules developed by Sonoscopia over the years. The system incorporates experimental instruments employing diverse methods of sound generation and transmission, ranging from mechanical and semi-automated structures to devices activated by light or water, often constructed from everyday materials and developed through collaborative processes. Each iteration of Sonar System takes a different form, responding to the specific site, performance context, and participating performers. At Sanatorium of Sound, one configuration of the system will be presented in a version created specifically for the festival and performed by Gustavo Costa.

The project is grounded in the idea that the production and reception of sound constitute fundamental conditions for the formation of relationships. Sonar System proposes listening not as passive reception but as an active practice through which new modes of co-presence can emerge. Its flexible structure also remains open to conventional instruments and electronic media, creating a collective environment for shared authorship and the continuous negotiation of musical forms.