The Living Pump Station
ABOUT
The Living Pump Station is a proposal for a temporary site-specific sound installation at the pumping station in Bronkhorst. On occasion of the IJsselbiënnale 2025 and responding to the curatorial theme of “grenzen” (boundaries), the project invites visitors to take time to experience the rich sensory environment of the location, to reflect on the boundaries between natural and artificial, between living organisms and machines, and to appreciate the fragile balance of life which is so vividly apparent in this characteristic Dutch landscape.
The Living Pump Station is a proposal for a temporary site-specific sound installation at the pumping station in Bronkhorst. On occasion of the IJsselbiënnale 2025 and responding to the curatorial theme of “grenzen” (boundaries), the project invites visitors to take time to experience the rich sensory environment of the location, to reflect on the boundaries between natural and artificial, between living organisms and machines, and to appreciate the fragile balance of life which is so vividly apparent in this characteristic Dutch landscape.
CONTEXT
The pump station is a machine which is
labouring ceaselessly to sustain the boundary between land and water. It stands on the top of the dike as a guard tower protecting Bronkhorst from the river. As its engines work, concealed in an elegant and monumental white modernist shell, from outside we hear a droning sound that has meditative musical qualities. A robotic claw suspended from a rail over the drainage canal quietly clears the inlet from debris. To support human life in this artificial landscape, engineers have created a living machine. All around it we see biological life: trees dance in the wind across the water, a flock of crows flies above while waterfowl feed on fish swimming up the canal.
The pump station is a machine which is
labouring ceaselessly to sustain the boundary between land and water. It stands on the top of the dike as a guard tower protecting Bronkhorst from the river. As its engines work, concealed in an elegant and monumental white modernist shell, from outside we hear a droning sound that has meditative musical qualities. A robotic claw suspended from a rail over the drainage canal quietly clears the inlet from debris. To support human life in this artificial landscape, engineers have created a living machine. All around it we see biological life: trees dance in the wind across the water, a flock of crows flies above while waterfowl feed on fish swimming up the canal.
PROPOSAL
The proposal is to create a low impact intervention which highlights the qualities of the location to create a deep engagement with the landscape. This will be accomplished by utilising and bringing attention to what is already present, with a minimum amount of additional materials and resources.
The plan envisions suspending two loudspeakers on the rail by the inlet side of the pump station. Visitors will be invited to approach the speakers and to listen to a generative music composition which is based on real time environmental data captured by sensors.
The proposal is to create a low impact intervention which highlights the qualities of the location to create a deep engagement with the landscape. This will be accomplished by utilising and bringing attention to what is already present, with a minimum amount of additional materials and resources.
The plan envisions suspending two loudspeakers on the rail by the inlet side of the pump station. Visitors will be invited to approach the speakers and to listen to a generative music composition which is based on real time environmental data captured by sensors.
The music will establish a link between the pump station as a living machine, and the biological life surrounding it. An algorithm based on recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence is being developed to recognise and analyse the calls of birds vocalising in the surroundings. This data together with data on the weather, will drive a digital music synthesis program generating electronic music in real time.
The work will be realised in such a way as to minimise the impact on the acoustic environment. Directional loudspeakers will focus the sound on a specific listening position. The loudness will be limited well below environmental limitations, so that the sound will be audible only in proximity to the speakers. Additionally, the algorithm will actively avoid interfering with bird vocalisations, by searching for and generating sounds which will attempt to sparsely occupy portions of the acoustic spectrum not utilised by animal communication, taking inspiration from what in the field of ecoacoustics is referred to as Acoustic Niche Hypothesis.
The loudspeakers utilised will be replicas of multicellular horns of the Altec Lansing 1505 model, chosen for their visual and acoustic properties. The beautiful geometry of these speakers aligns with the modernist design of the building.
The speakers will be hanging on steel beams extending from the existing structure, appearing as an integral and original part of the pump station. The horn is a shape that is commonly found in nature as well as in musical instruments. The multicellular horn also has a shape which resembles a beehive. It will hang from the rails outside the pumping station, recalling how a beehive hangs from a tree. From this position above the listener, the speakers will invite listeners to look up to the sky and observe the weather and birds flying above, while the robotic claw that keeps the inlet clear of debris occasionally works in the background.
The speakers will be hanging on steel beams extending from the existing structure, appearing as an integral and original part of the pump station. The horn is a shape that is commonly found in nature as well as in musical instruments. The multicellular horn also has a shape which resembles a beehive. It will hang from the rails outside the pumping station, recalling how a beehive hangs from a tree. From this position above the listener, the speakers will invite listeners to look up to the sky and observe the weather and birds flying above, while the robotic claw that keeps the inlet clear of debris occasionally works in the background.