Sentire l’aria (Feel the Air) stands as the culmination of a four day long workshop at the MADWORKSHOP Foundation. Riccardo Blumer with the help of Claudia Scholz and Guido Desigis led this one-of-a-kind, hands-on educational experience. Blending pedagogy with performance, the work — ‘Sentire l’aria’ — brought together nearly two dozen architecture students from top design schools across the greater Los Angeles area to explore sound and movement in a site-specific work.

Over the course of the workshop, Blumer and the students explored the mechanics of sound and the body as an engine for communication. Each participant carved their own unique wooden ‘rhombus’, an adaptation of an ancient signaling system dating back to the Paleolithic era. When spun on lengths of string, these airfoil shapes release a low and immersive sound. These primal frequencies are capable of traveling great distances and in the past were used to communicate with those too far away to see. This ancient sound object’s simple and repetitive musical note suggests continuity, both through time and with one another. “When you use the rhombus,” says Blumer, “it gives you a feeling of serenity and peace.” The object also makes the user aware of their own body: “You understand how long your arm is,” Blumer continues, “you understand many physical things that produce this simple sound.”

The engaging workshop concluded with a new choreographed work at the housewarming for MADWORKSHOP’s gallery space in Santa Monica, California. Blumer and this inaugural class of MADWORKSHOP Workshop participants, performed a hypnotic, highly synchronized twelve minute long performance with their rhombus symphony.

Video: PLANE-SITE

Assistants: Sofia Boarino & Serena Costa

Workshop Participants:
Kevin Shapiro
Nahal Mohtashemi
Nick Morof
Alberto Altamirano
Lawrence Sanchez
Chieh-Ting (JT) Chuang
Abdullah Alsanea
Nidhi Parsana
Nathan Adams
Rinna Jiang
Burcu Yasemin Turkay
Kevin Clark
Ada Luchao Wang
Yiran Chen
Sakura Heffron