It all started with the question - can one physically feel the heartbeat of a city? In this iteration, produced with the Finnish Bioart Society and as part of the European Public Art Centre (EPAC), CityBeat will attempt to embody and communicate the heartbeat of Helsinki, Lisbon, Riga and London. With this installation you are able to feel the changing pace of the city and compare beats of differe
nt cities by touching the form. We are live recording sound in central places in these cities and translating it to a heartbeat. The installation attempts to look at a city the way we look at other living organisms and create a different experience of our city environment. The box, provided by EPAC will be covered with concrete. Inside the box, on each side, we will attach a bass shaker. Each side of the concrete box represents a different city, different beat: four cities, four hearts. You are invited to move around the cube and touch the surface. We expect the heartbeats to alter during the day depending on the amount of activity in each respective city. The work is emphasizing the contrast between an organic function such as a heartbeat and the roughness of the material.
