Museum adds soundscapes to romanesque paintings to reconnect art with origins

Art historian Ona Balló curated an exhibition at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya that uses sound to reconnect Romanesque paintings with their original environments in the Pirineu.

The exhibition, titled “El viatge invers. Un fresc sonor al Romànic,” features a 20-minute audio journey through the landscapes of several churches. These paintings currently reside in the museum, but Balló designed the project to bring back the sounds of the valleys where the art was originally created.

The audio experience includes natural sounds such as wind, rain, and sheep bells, alongside liturgical elements like Gregorian chants and local community traditions. Balló worked with artists Marc Vilajoana and Arnau Obiols to capture these sounds. They used 160-degree ambient microphones to record the acoustics of churches like Santa Maria de Taüll and Santa Maria d’Àneu. The project also includes voices from local residents and the "key keepers" who maintain the historic buildings and provide context on the local heritage.

The museum designed the space so that sound flows through speakers rather than headphones, allowing visitors to move freely. Balló aims to show that the paintings have a terrestrial connection to the land, such as the birds nesting in the walls of Santa Maria d’Àneu. This exhibition serves as a test for the museum to incorporate more immaterial heritage into its permanent displays.