Medium: Sound, Metal carts, mechanical Contraption.

Duration: Variable.

Year: 2024.

“Chorus of the Abandoned” is a sound installation conceived to ‘awaken’ the metal carts once used to convey steel around the Völklinger Hütte. These carts, now abandoned and clustered together like dormant relics, will be transformed into instruments of sound, producing a symphony of metallic noises at the stroke of each hour, reminiscent of church bells marking time.

This installation explores themes of memory, space, and time, reflecting the site’s historical significance. The installation employs motor and pulley systems to propel the carts, causing them to emit metallic sounds from their hinges and joints. These sounds are orchestrated to create a harmonious yet haunting auditory experience, symbolizing the revival of the once-bustling industrial complex.

Serving as an auditory memorial, the installation evokes the history and presence of the ironworks that once operated there. Each metallic sound represents the echo of a forgotten past, a tribute to the countless individuals whose efforts powered the industrial era. By utilizing the abandoned carts and the area where they are docked at the Völklinger Hütte, the installation transforms the physical space into a dynamic soundscape. This reimagining of space invites visitors to reflect on the site’s industrial past and its present state of disuse. The juxtaposition of the static carts and their newfound movement through sound highlights the transformation of space over time.

The hourly chimes of the carts become a heartbeat, a pulse of the industrial past. Each strike acts as a metronome, marking the relentless passage of time once dictated by the demands of production. As the hours unfold, visitors are invited to contemplate the relentless rhythm of the industrial age—a cycle of creation, consumption, and decay. The once-vibrant heartbeat of the ironworks, now reduced to a mechanical pulse, evokes a sense of both nostalgia and melancholy.

The Völklinger Hütte, a colossal skeletal frame against the sky, provides a haunting backdrop to this temporal performance. The carts, once vital arteries of the complex, now become vessels of memory, their metallic chorus echoing through the cavernous spaces. As the hours pass, the installation transforms from a mere auditory experience into a meditation on the site’s history. Visitors may find themselves reflecting on the countless individuals who laboured within these walls, their lives intertwined with the rhythm of the machines.

The hourly chimes also serve as a stark contrast to the present silence. Where once the clamour of industry filled the air, there is now a stillness broken only by the deliberate, mechanical sounds of the installation. This juxtaposition creates a powerful emotional impact, inviting visitors to consider the impermanence of human endeavour and the enduring nature of the built environment. In this way, “Chorus of the Abandoned” becomes more than just a sound installation; it is a catalyst for reflection, a portal into the heart of the Völklinger Hütte’s history. By engaging with this piece, visitors are not only witnesses to an artistic reawakening of the site but also participants in a dialogue between past and present, history and memory.