"Eerie Ninphae" (2025)
Site-specific intervention and archaeoacoustic research Experimental sound composition and immersive HD video projection. Stereo audio via autonomous Bluetooth speakers. 14:57 minutes.
An investigation into the soundscapes and sacred resonance of the subterranean chambers and catacombs at Fabrik Hill; Kato Paphos, Cyprus. The project integrates archaeoacoustic and historical research with experimental sound composition and visual projections designed specifically for the ancient limestone walls. By intervening in the space, Eerie Ninphae works as an ephemeral dialogue between contemporary digital media and the historical memory of the site, activating the acoustic and visual potential of the catacombs for accidental audiences.
The underground network of Fabrik Hill does not operate merely as a passive container or a scenographic location, but as an active agent in a site-specific artistic practice. Drawing from archaeological research and on-site exploration, Eerie Ninphae proposes a speculative reading of these rock-cut chambers not merely as tombs, but originally as nymphaea—ritual spaces historically tied to water, nature, and the mythological presence of nymphs. In antiquity, water was considered a liminal, purifying element within both funerary and sacred contexts. While only one of the structures currently exhibits visible evidence of water channels, morphological similarities and the sacred atmosphere of the complex suggest a much broader, collective ritual function in the past. By approaching these cavities as a massive historical resonator, the work explores how the porous limestone has absorbed centuries of rituals, water filtrations, and environmental erosion, embedding a latent acoustic memory into the very fabric of the stone and harnessing the natural reverberation of the place.
The association of water with the mythic realm of the nymphs—entities embodying an unresolved tension between beauty and eeriness, inspiration and terror—infuses the site with a potent symbolic charge. Eerie Ninphae responds to this inherent ambivalence through an entirely non-invasive, multisensory, and ephemeral gesture. Crucially, the intervention preserved the physical integrity of the heritage site; no structural modifications were made, no excavation was conducted, and the ancient walls were neither drilled nor altered in any way. Rather than seeking to reconstruct static historical facts, the work introduces a multichannel electroacoustic soundscape derived from on-site field recordings, processed through modular synthesis, and spatialized to interact gently with the space. The soundwaves physically excite the pre-existing architecture, transforming sound from a neutral medium into an act of situated listening—an embodied mode of sonic attention grounded in the physical, cultural, and environmental conditions of the place.
Visually and sensorially, the work articulates an intense ontological contradiction between the clinical, algorithmic nature of high-definition digital media and the raw heritage substrate. A portable, battery-powered projector casts a visual layer of site-inspired textures and AI-processed imagery directly onto the ancient limestone walls. Upon hitting the irregular, humid surface of the rock, a destruction of the digital edge occurs: the pixel fractures, the clinical image deforms, and the virtual plane is forced to absorb the materic "glitches" and reliefs of the stone. This visual friction is paired with photographic stills shown on small battery-operated tablets and the subtle diffusion of natural incense, a historical ritual practice meant to deepen sensory perception.
Through this transient synthesis of light, sound, and scent, the digital tools bend entirely to historical matter. The intervention stands as a contemporary ritual that honors the mythic dimension of the landscape, inviting accidental audiences into a reflective encounter with memory, material transformation, and the persistent spectrality of place.
This project was created with the support of XR Lab / Digital Arts Studios.
