Sédiments magnétiques 23/100

Who diffuses what? What sounds enter, pass through us, and by which way? What imposes itself, or, on the contrary, eludes us? By observing the phenomenological and cultural dimension of sounds, Léna Hiriartborde will criss-cross the surroundings, zooming in on the environment to collect a poetry of micro-events, of the fleeting, of the unexpected.

“Sédiments magnétiques 23/100” is a reference to the 23 sedimentary layers that make up the first 100 metres of the Brussels subsoil. It evokes the idea of an experimental plateau composed of sound fragments, either activated or produced live. On the lookout for textures and surprises generated by different broadcasting devices, LH will combine the use of battery-powered DIY speakers, radios, speed-controlled cassette players, live voices, and more. Invited to unfold together in organic and shifting combinations, these ephemeral entities will interact like mushrooms emerging sporadically from an underground network of mycelium. They will mix sound recordings made during walks through the city, snippets of text, vocal experiments and continuous lo-fi sounds. Through successive touches, she will harmonise these different elements through modulation and spatialisation, bringing them together.

Léna Hiriartborde (1992) is a multidisciplinary French artist based in Marseille. Her practice is hybrid and most often contextual. Her installations combine performance, sound, poetry, DIY electronic constructions, video and drawing. They are developed in conversation with the spaces they occupy, paying particular attention to the sometimes imperceptible spaces and presences that inhabit them. Her immersive in situ creations bring into play balances that she patiently constructs, never relying on a form that would work every time. Her approach can be related to improvisation and certain meditative practices.

Her work has been supported by the FRAC and the Région Sud, resulting in solo exhibitions (Fleuir, Cendrer, Dormir, Frac Sud Hors les murs, 2025; Sublim Théorie, Espace Longue Vue, Île-Saint-Denis). It has been shown in Switzerland (Mondes Parallèles, Mapping Festival, Geneva, CH, 2022), Japan (La sorcière de Fuguruma #1, Villa Kujoyama, Kyoto, 2022; Sumida Expo, Tokyo, 2022), Chile (Umbral, CasaNekoe, 2013; Control Remoto, Worm Gallery, 2016), Spain and Portugal (Projet Entre Serras, 2025).