Silenced Echoes

The human wave stood motionless in front of the monument, so quietly that the sound of distant be/Is, never heard here, drifted down from the rooftops.

Zygmunt Wasilewski, Secretary of the Social Committee for the Construction of a Monument to Adam Mickiewicz in Warsaw, 1898

The 1898 unveiling of Mickiewicz’s statue, which still stands tall above Warsaw’s streets, remains etched in the national memory as one of the symbols of Poland’s independence. Silenced Echoes pays homage to this event from a tower that also used to overlook jubilant crowds. Deconstructed bell elements symbolise liberation amidst constraint, echoing the silenced voices and contrasting the suppressed clamour with audible echoes. lt is inspired by how a fragment of Moniuszko’s opera Halka was the only “speech” to be heard at the ceremony. The auditory layer of the work transcends boundaries through a bench emanating Morse coded frequencies, while the visual materials intertwine silence and sound. An almost tactile sensory melody by the silenced composer Filipina Brzezińska underscores human resilience, allowing the audience to reflect on freedom amidst a constricted silence breaking out. Practicality blends with artistry, inviting tactile interaction with the installation/instrument. The visitors can touch and feel its textured surfaces, immersing themselves in auditory and visual dimensions crafted for contemplation. Each touch sets off sounds that echo the enduring spirit of freedom. When the 1898 ceremony began, a legendary 1 5 minutes of silence unfolded. The guests in the tower will feel the resonance between past and present, while tactile sensations and auditory cues will ensure a profound experience, leaving a lasting impression.