Revoke visitor rules relating to silence

Observatorio de la escucha, Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea,

Donostia-San Sebastián, ES

Revoke visitor rules relating to silence, Intervention, October 2016

Cancel the rule of keeping silent inside the library for two weeks.

This work is done within the “Listening Observatory”, a program of five sound interventions that specifically relate to the place in which they are installed. The invitation of “Listening Observatory” is to intervene in the library context concerning silence. In response to that, this proposal is not about adding sounds for the library space but instead working with the rules that attempt to enforce silence. The proposal has been agreed to based on a dialogue with the management and staff of the institution.

This process has led to many decisions about the space to intervene, temporality, communication, and mediation. A red line on the floor marks the border between the two symmetrical halves of the building. It differentiates the area where the rules don’t work and where they do. A new notice announces the abrogation and its temporality in each area of the building. All the signs where you are asked to keep silent are crossed out with red elements. After the first week in the right area, these elements move to the left area of the building.

Plans of the two floors of the Koldo Mitxelena library, marked with the location of the posters, intervened alternatively in each wing.

Information brochure.

Design Sonia Ciriza

PDF (CAST) Brochure

View of the piece in the exhibition Accrochage — Accrochage, Estrany – De la Mota, mayo 2018.

49 lines (Abrogate the rules of use relating to silence), 2016Removable vinyl on methacrylate.
16 elements of 48 x 28,4 cm each, 3 elements of 20,8 x 29,5 cm each, 8 elements of 19,8 x 28,3 cm each,
5 elements of 20.7 x 28.9 cm each, 6 elements of 20.3 x 5.3 cm each, 3 elements of 20.1 x 5.3 cm each and 2 elements of 20.6 x 8.5 cm each.

Coordination and production: Amalur Gaztañaga and Itziar Iraola.
Mediation: Elisabeth Dominguez and Maider Aldasoro

Thanks to: Frantxi López Landatxe, Susana Araiz, Ana Salaberria y equipo de Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea, Pablo Berástegui, Ane Agirre, Marc Vives, Martín Vitaliti, Sonia Fernández Pan, Diego Bustamante and Laura Llaneli.

This proposal took place in the framework of Observatorio de la escucha, curated by José Luis Espejo and Mikel R. Nieto, with works by María Salgado, Ixiar Rozas, Jaume Ferrete, Francisco López and ALKU.