“A garage is often more than just a storage space. It can be a refuge form daily routine, a save space where like-minded people get together in the enjoyment of making and tinkering. We found inspiration in this garage spirit and thus turned a garage into the headquarter of our art exhibition project, where we involved local communities in making art together with international artists.“
Martin Leibinger, Curator
Tuning In
2021
audio system with speakers, replicated ventilation shaft
80 x 100 x 80 cm
Courtesy the artists and Garage, Missoula
Garage – Community Exhibition Project
July 17 – August 28, 2021
Downtown area
Missoula, MT (USA)
Nicolas Vionnet and Wouter Sibum are interested in urban spaces that carry traces of history, offer hidden potential or just leave you puzzled at the first sight. They create temporary works that can be described as an artistic approach to urban design. They create offers to change the perception and dynamics of public spaces for example by changing and adding elements like fountains or benches or changing colors of surfaces. For the “Garage" project, different sites in Missoula were researched that could be interesting for the artists.
Vionnet & Sibum chose to work with a niche between two buildings in the Missoula downtown area. The artists were interested in the niche as a unique urban feature in Missoula. They developed a concept for a minimal invasive sound installation that creates attention to the niche and raise awareness for what is special about the urban environment in Missoula. Vionnet & Sibum invite people in Missoula to record sounds that they connect to the city. These sounds are played in the niche in short sequences of 20 seconds to 1 minute. For installing a speaker in the niche, a metal box was designed that resembles one of the exhaust boxes that already exist in the niche so that the intervention blends in the unique aesthetics of the site.