Merging Assemblage

Sonic and visual installation ‘peace’ that aims to merge geographic essences and ecosystems from different cultures

FIRST PHASE

Nuuk, Greenland — 26 Nov – 3 Dec 2025

SUPPORTED BY

ARTISTIC DIRECTION

Luis Rubio & Varna Marianne Nielsen

A space where two cultures meet, in a sonic exploration rooted in listening.

Merging Assemblage is a sonic and visual installation that aims to merge geographic essences and ecosystems from different cultures. It is about union with respect for each cultural difference: the intricate geometry of Andalusian tiles, the Icelandic influences, the stillness of Arctic snow; pieces from different worlds, coming together to form something new.

From the Spanish side, Luis brings melodic and harmonic fragments. From Greenland, Varna brings her heritage and the sounds of nature woven through electronic soundscapes. More than structure, we are searching for an atmosphere — a slow work of connecting, built on the belief that creation, when done from a place of care, can be a bridge across distance, time, and difference.

Day 1 — Arrival in Nuuk

Travel day and a first walk through the city to ground ourselves. Preparatory visits: University of Greenland, Nuuk Art Museum, and the residency space. Meeting with Kim Kleist Eriksen and visit to the Ajagaq Craft Workshop, where we made the first sound recordings inside the workshop itself.

Day 3 — Materials, vocabulary, Qulliq

A long day in town. Gathering recording materials, video, and objects for the work. Building the trilingual vocabulary list together (Kalaallisut / Español / English). Recording the lighting of the Qulliq, the traditional Greenlandic flame, alongside handicrafts in polar bear skin. Visits to the hunters' market, the Nuuk National Museum, and a traditional Inuit clothing workshop. Closing the day with recordings of the city's after-work rhythm.

Day 2 — Pre-dawn field recordings

Field recording at Store Malene and Lake Qallussuaq. Bird migration, water, ice, snow, waterfalls — captured before the city wakes.

Day 5 — City sounds

Recording sessions in everyday social spaces like supermarkets and public corners. Listening to the daily life of Nuuk.

Day 7 — Water Taxi

A boat journey through the fjord, recording soundscapes from the water, the surface, the air, the ice.

Day 4 — Aanaas hytte and the music session

Audiovisual session at Aanaas hytte, an ancient Inuit dwelling, with Luis in his traditional Spanish harvester dress. Later, a music session at the University of Greenland — piano, theremin, keyboard, and Varna's voice.