{"id":108284,"date":"2025-05-17T06:05:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T06:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/108284\/"},"modified":"2025-05-17T06:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T06:05:17","slug":"dark-skies-suspends-sound-system-over-crowd-at-horst-arts-music-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/108284\/","title":{"rendered":"dark skies suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &#038; music festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dark Skies sound installation rises at Horst Arts &amp; Music Festival<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dark Skies is a large-scale <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/sound-art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sound<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/interactive-installation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">installation<\/a><\/strong> developed by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/leopold-banchini\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leopold Banchini<\/a><\/strong> and Giona Bierens de Haan in collaboration with DJ and producer DVS1 for the Horst Arts &amp; Music Festival, taking place just outside of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-belgium\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brussels<\/a><\/strong>. Suspended above the crowd, this large-scale sound system transforms the space into a collective, \u2018democratic\u2019 dance floor. Built with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/recycling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recycled<\/a><\/strong> materials and volunteer support, it creates a dense, intimate atmosphere where sound leads the experience and everyone becomes part of the same pulse.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The installation is composed of 116 top <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/speaker-design\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speakers<\/a><\/strong> and 58 subwoofers, forming a horizontal ceiling of sound entirely suspended above the audience. This configuration distributes sound evenly across the space and minimizes the visual and spatial focus on any single performer, directing attention to the collective environment.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"dark skies sonic pavilion suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &amp; music festival\" width=\"818\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dark-skies-project-for-horst-arts-music-festival-by-leopold-banchini-architects-giona-bierens-de-haa.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>all images by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeroenverrecht.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeroen Verrecht<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Leopold Banchini &amp; Giona Bierens de Haan collaborate with DVS1<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Constructed using rented sound equipment, recycled ceiling panels, and standard timber sections, the system spans over 1,000 sqm. The structure was assembled during a workshop involving non-professional volunteers, emphasizing collaborative construction processes and the reuse of available materials.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The spatial layout creates a consistent proximity between participants and the sound sources, with no individual positioned far from the speakers, resulting in a multi-directional and uniformly distributed sound field. The design approach by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leopoldbanchini.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">studio<\/a><\/strong> Leopold Banchini Architects &amp; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gionabierensdehaan.ch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">designer<\/a><\/strong> Giona Bierens de Haan prioritizes acoustic immersion and spatial equity, enabling an open, non-hierarchical configuration for collective listening and movement.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1133324 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"dark skies sonic pavilion suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &amp; music festival\" width=\"818\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dark-skies-sound-installation-leopold-banchini-giona-bierens-de-haan-dvs1-horst-arts-music-festival-.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>the overhead structure is made of 116 speakers and 58 subwoofers<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"dark skies sonic pavilion suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &amp; music festival\" width=\"818\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747461915_211_dark-skies-project-for-horst-arts-music-festival-by-leopold-banchini-architects-giona-bierens-de-haa.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the pavilion is built using recycled materials and standard timber sections<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"dark skies sonic pavilion suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &amp; music festival\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747461916_993_dark-skies-project-for-horst-arts-music-festival-by-leopold-banchini-architects-giona-bierens-de-haa.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>recycled ceiling panels form part of the structural framework<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"dark skies sonic pavilion suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &amp; music festival\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747461916_676_dark-skies-project-for-horst-arts-music-festival-by-leopold-banchini-architects-giona-bierens-de-haa.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>ceiling-mounted speakers distribute sound evenly across the dance floor<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"dark skies sonic pavilion suspends sound system over crowd at horst arts &amp; music festival\" width=\"818\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747461917_317_dark-skies-project-for-horst-arts-music-festival-by-leopold-banchini-architects-giona-bierens-de-haa.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the sound system spans over 1,000 sqm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dark Skies sound installation rises at Horst Arts &amp; Music Festival \u00a0 Dark Skies is a large-scale sound&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":108285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[49400,4021,4020,4022,77,11100,49401,10688,49402,49403,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-108284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architecture-in-belgium","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-interactive-installation","14":"tag-leopold-banchini","15":"tag-recycling","16":"tag-sound-art","17":"tag-speaker-design","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114521671670541475","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}