interactive sound installation

Nénuphars was imagined in the framework of the Waterwalls Festival 2021, which is bearing the title of the first Luxembourgish festival in circular culture. So we took the challenge of coming up with an installation that would be as sustainable as possible.That’s the reason why, for the first time in Mad Trix’ history, we decided to create a non-digital art piece. In addition to that, we build it with local and or second hand material. Nénuphars (water lilies) is a kinetic, sonic and interactive installation floating on the Sûre. It materialises through several round platforms placed peacefully on the water. Each of these platforms has a unique construction that can produce rhythms and melodies. Air pumps installed at the edge of the river, manually activated by the visitors, blow air underneath the platforms. The air pressure allows the platforms to move, activating the sound sculptures on top of them, producing sounds that are human-activated but nevertheless random and uncontrollable. These surprising movements of the nénuphars cause the still water near the dam to stir, creating small waves that set the other nénuphars in motion. This spontaneous interaction reveals a poetic and melodious dance between the different platforms on the water.