If we remain silent

Ana Brape

CASCO Art Institute, Utrecht, 2023

EVA International — Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland, 2025

Sound design, spatial sound system development & sound adaptation — Juan Orozco

If we remain silent is an installation by Ana Brape conceived as a feminist and decolonial anti-monument commemorating women social leaders on the frontlines of the climate crisis in Abya Yala.

Combining 16mm film, sound, performance, weaving and collective making, the work honours Indigenous and Afro-Colombian women environmental defenders, keeping their struggles, memories and relationships with the land present.

Juan Orozco developed the sound design in artistic collaboration with Ana Brape, working with two sound pieces, Conmemoración and Cuerpo Territorio, originally conceived for two silent 16mm films.

The sound material draws on recordings made on location, including field recordings from territories in Colombia where ecosystems are under threat. Rather than functioning as synchronized accompaniment to the images, the sound develops as an autonomous layer, expanding the perceptual and spatial dimensions of the installation.

The project also incorporates soundscapes from #paisajessonorosenextincion, generously shared by Ricardo Delgado and collaborators.

Utrecht — 2023

For the presentation at CASCO Art Institute in Utrecht, the sound system was developed using surface transducers attached to the exhibition's temporary walls, transforming the architectural surfaces into resonating sound sources.

Two sound emission points were arranged in each room, distributing the audio through the physical structure rather than conventional loudspeakers.

This approach created a diffuse listening environment in which sound emerged from the surrounding architecture, establishing a relationship between the recorded material, the installation and the physical space.

Limerick — 2025

For the presentation at EVA International, at Limerick City Gallery of Art, Juan Orozco carried out the creative redesign, remixing and mastering of Conmemoración and Cuerpo Territorio.

Originally developed for a surface-transducer-based system, both sound pieces were reconfigured for playback through conventional loudspeakers.

This adaptation involved reconsidering the spatial relationships, dynamics and tonal balance of the original materials, preserving the conceptual and perceptual intentions of the sound design while responding to a different exhibition environment.

Credits

Artist / Artistic concept
Ana Brape

Sound design — Conmemoración & Cuerpo Territorio
Juan Orozco

Original spatial sound system development — Utrecht, 2023
Juan Orozco

Sound redesign, remixing & mastering — Limerick, 2025
Juan Orozco

Additional sound material
Field recordings from Colombia and soundscapes from #paisajessonorosenextincion, shared by Ricardo Delgado and collaborators

Exhibitions
CASCO Art Institute: Working for the Commons — Utrecht, Netherlands, 2023

EVA International — Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland, 2025