At first glance, Michal Kindernay's compositions are reminiscent of abstract paintings, but their origin is quite concrete. They are sound imprints of Prague streets, squares and bridges. The current exhibition at the Artwall Gallery, entitled Sound Contamination, will take us to Vítězné náměstí, across the Nuselský Bridge, to Stromovka and Letná, to the surroundings of I. P. Pavlova, or to the bridges and embankments of the Vltava River, including the Kapitán Jaroš Embankment, where the Artwall Gallery is located. 

The sound maps were created during the author's walks through Prague motivated by his search for quiet places in the noise of the capital. He used a modified GPS sensor and a recording unit to track the sound traces in the tangle of Prague streets, enabling the intensity of sound intensity to be analysed. Depending on the measured values, he created sound maps, where the intensity of the sound functions like an imaginary brush marking noisy sounds with bold traces and quiet sounds with fine lines. On the gallery's website, viewers can turn into listeners and experience the streets of Prague through the original sound recordings. 

The artist comments on the process: "I draw a sound map of the city. I can hear its quiet zones and noise barriers. I look for shortcuts to get out of the system. Like a pedestrian/urban hunter tracking a quiet/animal, I look for easily overlooked sound imprints in the urban noise and the colours of threatened sound spectrums."

The aesthetically pleasing images refer to sound pollution, which is not only a nuisance but also poses a significant health risk. Noise, unlike dust particles or nitrogen emissions, does not cause asthma or lung cancer, but high doses increase stress and may be linked to the development of insomnia or depression. According to the IPR Institute of Planning and Development, the problem of excessive noise affects almost 100 000 of Prague residents.

About the artist:

Michal Kindernay lives and works in Prague. His work touches on ecology and environmental issues. His works include video-performances and interactive installations, intermedia and documentary projects and musical sound compositions. He is a co-founder of the art non-profit organization yo-yo and initiator of the RurArtmap project. He also works as a teacher at the Centre for Audiovisual Studies at FAMU in Prague as part of the ITT program at Institute of Intermedia FEE CUT and at Prague City University. As an organizer or artist he has participated in many international projects.

Curators: Lenka Kukurová, Zuzana Štefková 

The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague and the Municipal District of Prague 7. Media partners of the project are Artmap, Radio 1, GoOut. The co-organizer of the opening is the Foundation and Centre for Contemporary Art.

Photo of the exhibition at Artwall: Martin Micka, photo of the vernisage: Lenka Dvořáková