At Trento's MUSE No War, a site-specific work against all war

Agostino Carollo has created for the MUSE Museum of Science in Trento anunprecedented site-specific work that can be seen and heard at the museum every day at different times and is intended to communicate a strong and clear message: it is meant to reiterate the museum’s commitment to spreading the culture of peace, aware that research and the dissemination of scientific culture are a valuable diplomatic tool to be used for authentic peace-building and collaboration among all people.

Activated on the International Day Against Discrimination, March 21, the installation entitled -. --- / .-- .- .-.(No War) is a “site-specific”sound art work against all war. The installation, visible on the large screens placed at the entrance of MUSE takes up, transforms and amplifies the audio tone of the international Morse code that conveys the message “No War” (“No War”) to announce in an unprecedented and original way the daily closure of the museum, to shake the consciences of the people who visit it and to launch with art a message of peace all over the world.

“No War” aims to be a contribution to the important dialogue on peace and peaceful coexistence among peoples that the museum has always sought to promote. MUSE is strategically located in the center of a region that has suffered the consequences of historical conflicts and has seen the construction of a multi-ethnic and multicultural coexistence.

Through art and music, the installation aims to make people who enter the museum reflect on the consequences of war and the need to build a society based on peace and cooperation. In addition, MUSE has always sought to promote scientific outreach and awareness of major global issues affecting the health of our planet and our society. The installation fits into this context, helping to raise public awareness of the need to work together to build a more just and equitable world in which peace and peaceful coexistence are fundamental values.

“I wanted to create an interesting sound effect that could communicate the specific message ’No War’ through sound,” artist Agostino Carollo explains with these words how the idea of using Morse code for this installation came about. “I chose Morse code because it is memorized by listening to the characteristic sound of each character, as if each set of sounds were a letter. Also, Morse code is a very simple and universal communication system that can be easily recognized by many people around the world.”

Carollo related that “with a pure sine wave generated by one of my analog synthesizers, I generated the words ’No War’ in Morse code and inserted it in time into a rhythmic sequence of two 4/4 beats. The ’heart’ of the work is this particular rhythmic sequence that I created. For the arrangement I researched, sampled, synthesized, and digitally processed various sounds including that of the acoustic electric telegraph detector, that of sonar pulses, and others, with the goal of making it as exciting as possible for museum visitors to hear. For the video that can be seen in the museum lobby, I was inspired by the Navy’s optical telegraph.”

This new sound installation, also accompanied by an original video, was created especially for the MUSE Museum of Science in Trento, where it can be heard daily starting Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at the following times: Monday through Friday at 5:15 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays at 10:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m.

At Trento's MUSE No War, a site-specific work against all war

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