Nandita Kumar

Sounding the Invisible: An Elegant Symbiosis, 2025

Nandita Kumar, Sounding the Invisible: An Elegant Symbiosis, interactive installation, at the TBA21 Solstice Festival, June 2025, Ocean Space, Venice. Organized by TBA21–Academy within the framework of S+T+ARTS4WaterII, an initiative by the European Commission. Still from a video by Maco Film.

Commissions

Academy Commissions

TBA21–Academy

Nandita Kumar
Sounding the Invisible: An Elegant Symbiosis, 2025

Participatory sound installation

Conceptualization and Project Management:

Nandita Kumar

Sound Design: Kari Rae Seekins

Creative Coder for Sound Engagement: Abhinay Khoparzi

Circuit Board Design: Prateek Jha

Website Developer: Aryan Oberoi | Md. Anas Jamal

Ui / Ux Design: Sanjana Kadam

Labels / Poster Design: Aviral Saxena

Plant Illustrations: Nandita Kumar | Akshay Manjrekar | Snigdha Vaidya

Pollutant Illustrations: Priyanka Bagade

Book Design: Shikha Sinai Usgaonker

3D Model for Sculpture/Installation: Athul Kumar

Editor: Anjali Singh Uttamchandani

Researcher and Content Writer: Pooja Das

Introduction Text: Adwait

Researcher:

Kamakshi Garg

Dhruvika Sharma

Sristi Pareskar

Tamoghno Paul

Mithun Lakshmanan

Prajakta Bodkhe

Nezlyn D'Souza

This work was commissioned by TBA21–Academy within the framework of the S+T+ARTS 4Water II residency program with the support of Konsortium Deutsche Meeresforschung (KDM) within the Prep4Blue project as a contribution to the EU Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, and with the collaboration of Ca' Foscari, CNR-ISMAR, ETT, and Venice International University.

With the initial support of ASU Leonardo Imagination Fellowship, UNESCO FUTURE Literacy, and The Awesome Foundation.

Sounding the Invisible: An Elegant Symbiosis is an interactive graphical notation score/sound installation based on an experimental archive that collates information on phytoremediation plants and the varied pollutants they break down, specifically in water bodies. This technique uses plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper water amendments, to either contain, remove, or render toxic contaminants harmless. These plants are chosen in the hope that future ecologies can use this assimilated research to adopt these plants in their local spaces and discharge clean water before it re-enters the water system. It is a cost-effective plant-based approach of remediation, in which the chosen plants respond to the varied pollutants found in the ports of Venice.

This project leverages technology to translate complex scientific information into accessible auditory/visual/content cues, enhancing the audience's understanding and engagement. By sonifying data on pollutants absorbed by phytoremediation plants, Sounding the Invisible: An Elegant Symbiosis invites participants to engage with the complexities of environmental issues. Embracing uncertainty/chance and the richness of human experience, the project embodies creating live encounters where unexpected moments of learning unfold. The project emphasizes community building and equitable access to information. By providing information about phytoremediation plants and pollutants, Kumar's installation fosters dialogue and encourages individuals to take action in their communities.

Sounding the Invisible: An Elegant Symbiosis was presented at TBA21 Solstice Festival, curated by María Montero Sierra at Ocean Space, Venice, as part of the concluding event of the TBA21–Academy's residency program, organized within the framework of STARTS4WaterII and featuring live performance, sound, and participatory installation dedicated to deep listening to the multispecies stories of the Venice lagoon.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nandita Kumar “creates” at the intersection of art, sound, environmental science, technology and community engagement. As a system designer, she explores the elemental process through which human beings construct meaning from their experiences, by creating sensory narratives through the usage of data, sound, video/animation and performance, smartphone apps, customized motherboards, solar/microwave sensors. Kumar’s process envisions a desirable future state for human societies in which living conditions and resource-use continue to meet human needs without undermining the "integrity, stability and beauty" of natural biotic systems. Through interactive sound installations and her data-driven artistic experiments, she engages audiences in understanding complex environmental issues. Kumar is a DAAD fellow and has exhibited in Listening Biennale, Mardin Biennale, Ars Electronica, Pompidou, ZKM, Kiasma, KNMA, LACMA, REDCAT, ISEA, Jeu de Paume, Film Archive NY, NTAA, RedCat, Rewire+iii.

ABOUT S+T+ARTS

S+T+ARTS is an initiative of the European Commission to foster alliances between science, technology and the arts, in order to cultivate technological innovation centered on human needs and values.

S+T+ARTS4WaterII–Ports in Transformation is dedicated to tackling the complex environmental and societal challenges present in Europe’s ports and port cities.

Learn more about this edition of TBA21–Academy Residency Program in Venice HERE.