3D sound installation at QNL opens for public

The Qatari community – and football lovers in particular – will have the chance to experience the rousing sound of football fans at a match played at The Grand Hamad Stadium via a large-scale sound installation currently being fitted at Qatar National Library ( QNL).

The outdoor public display, “105+db,” which will be open to the public from today until March 17, is a unique sonic artwork, created by UK based interactive arts studio Invisible Flock, that will appeal to everyone, representing both Qatar’s sporting identity, as well as its passion for football.

The installation’s name is inspired by the sound level at which an individual’s voice is lost in a crowd, and is the result of a collaboration with British Council Qatar. It transplants the exhilarating wall of noise and energy that was captured during a match played between Al Rayyan and Al Arabi football clubs, at The Grand Hamad Stadium on September 14, 2018 with the support of Qatar Stars League.

“Public art displays provide new learning opportunities for people, and allow them to learn new aspects of the world around them. The sonic installation at QNL will help our visitors virtually experience the energy within a stadium when a match is played, and the great passion for football in Qatar,” said Dr Sohair Wastawy, executive director, QNL. “We welcome everyone to visit the Library over the weekend with their families, and experience such innovations with fellow visitors.”

The sonic architecture of the match is transplanted from the stadium, then re-presented as a mass-scale outdoor sound installation. It allows audiences to immerse themselves in the roar of the crowd and navigate through and around the invisible walls of sound, as the match is replayed.

“With Qatar World Cup 2022 just around the corner, we are delighted to collaborate with Invisible Flock as part of our ambition to harness the power of arts to make cities more open, dynamic and inclusive. Having art in public spaces improves a city in so many ways, encouraging interaction, participation and connections between communities. This installation brings arts and sports together, plunging people into a breathtaking and unusual sound experience,” said Sam Ayton, director of the British

Council in Qatar.

Invisible Flock recorded sounds of the fans experiencing the match by installing an array of microphones around The Grand Hamad stadium and reproduced the sound in a 3D space.

Visitors can join the shows today and tomorrow from 4 – 6pm; March 16 at 1pm, 3:30pm, and 6pm and March 17, from 4 – 6pm.

بات المجتمع القطري وعشاق كرة القدم تحديداً على موعد مع تجربة الشعور بالتواجد في قلب مباراة لكرة القدم، من خلال العرض الفني الصوتي «105+db» الذي يُقام خلال الفترة من 14 إلى 17 مارس الحالي، في تجربة جديدة تعكس هوية قطر الرياضية وشغف شعبها بكرة القدم.

ويقام العرض بالتعاون بين المكتبة والمجلس الثقافي البريطاني في قطر، ويتضمن إقامة جدار افتراضي من أصوات التشجيع والحماس والضجيج التي تم تسجيلها في المباراة التي أقيمت بين فريقي الريان والعربي في استاد حمد الكبير في 14 سبتمبر 2018 بدعم من دوري نجوم قطر. وقالت الدكتورة سهير وسطاوي المدير التنفيذي لمكتبة قطر الوطنية: «تتيح معارض التكنولوجيا الفنية فرص تعلم جديدة لرواد المكتبة، والتعرف على جوانب جديدة من العالم المحيط بهم، وتأتي التكنولوجيا الصوتية ثلاثية الأبعاد في المكتبة لتقدم للرواد والزائرين إمكانية الشعور بأجواء الحماس والتشجيع في جمهور الاستاد للعبة كرة القدم. ودعت الجميع لزيارة المكتبة في عطلة نهاية الأسبوع مع عائلاتهم من أجل الاستمتاع بهذا المعرض الصوتي الفني مع بقية رواد المكتبة».