Younes Baba-Ali: Horn Orchestra
LocationThe old warehouse (next to the silo) at the harbour, Østkajen 2
Sound from car horns collected in Belgium, France, Poland and Morocco.
Horn Orchestra is a sound installation consisting of a series of 10 car horns suspended from the ceiling in an enclosed warehouse space on the harbour. At first glance, the installation takes on a rather sculptural and silent presence. The public is invited to walk into the space when all of a sudden their presence triggers the sound of the installation, reciprocating their entry by a shocking blare of car horns. The horns, filling the space with ear-splitting, gut-wrenching noise, produce an imposing yet intangible sonic atmosphere and expose us to the innate power and effect of sound on our bodily experience.
About the artist
Younes Baba-Ali (1986) is from Oujda, Morocco, currently residing and working in Bruxelles, Belgium and Casablanca, Morocco. Baba-Ali primarily creates art for public spaces, or for spaces where you would not expect to find art. His works raise critical questions, mirroring society, revealing dysfunctions and ingrained habits. Baba-Ali’s art often comes in the shape of ready-mades; an object placed in a new context, becoming a work of art. On the surface, his works might seem simple, but upon closer examination they become much more complex.
Baba-Ali designates himself an artist-alchemist; measuring and mixing technology, objects, sound, video and photography with political, social and ecological issues. The resulting installations discreetly coerce the unsuspecting viewer into taking a stand. His works are context-specific and take their final form in dialogue with its spectators. This – at times – disruptive intervention art confronts the viewer in an ironical way with himself and his environment.
Younes Baba-Ali: “Horn Orchestra” (2009), Struer Tracks 2019. Photo: Mikkel Høgh Kaldal
Younes Baba-Ali: “Horn Orchestra” (2009), Struer Tracks 2019. Photo: Mikkel Høgh Kaldal