Raconte-moi un Secret: A Wall Where Secrets Turn into Sound

17 hours ago

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Designed by coletivo 624 for the 20th edition of the Festival des Architectures Vives in Montpellier, France , Raconte-moi un secret ("Tell Me a Secret") is part of a series of ephemeral interventions placed in private courtyards temporarily opened to the public. It is presented as a sound and architecture installation that addresses this year's theme, "Transmission," through the concept of confession, one of the deepest forms of transmission between people.

Bringing Privacy into the Public Sphere

Invited by Vicente Spínola and selected by an international jury, coletivo 624, along with 12 young architectural teams from different countries, interpreted the theme of "Transmission." Raconte-moi un secret invites visitors to make an anonymous confession; these confessions become part of a constantly changing sound composition. Thus, the installation blurs the boundaries between architecture, sound art, performance, and social interaction, reconstructing relationships of trust, memory, and privacy through public participation.

Two Sides of a Curved Wall

The physical intervention consists of a curved wall approximately six meters long and two meters high; the wall's geometry creates two distinct, complementary experiences. Eleven speakers located on the convex face project a soundscape composed of collected recordings, while five niches placed at varying heights on the concave face invite visitors to approach and record a secret. A sheep's wool curtain in the center of the wall separates the two environments while also enhancing the installation's acoustic performance. To prevent visitors from directly contacting the technical infrastructure, the wall is covered with a layer of tulle, and the sound system is placed under a raised platform, protected and hidden.

Designed for disassembly and reassembly.

The project was developed in accordance with circular economy principles. To avoid new resource consumption, sound equipment was rented instead of purchased, and the structure was designed from the outset with the principle of "assembled to be disassembled." All materials were selected to extend their lifespan through reuse as much as possible, and recycling when necessary; this both reduces environmental impact and ensures the installation's logistical feasibility.

Interacting with diverse audiences and reclaiming public space is a defining characteristic of the projects of coletivo 624, founded in 2021 by six architect friends. Working in Porto, Lausanne, and Melbourne, the collective is situated at the intersection of architecture, art, and urbanization; seeking new forms of dialogue between people, spaces, and collective experiences through participatory and temporary installations.