MãoSimMão Cultural Association

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Green Resilience through Autonomous Vibrational Ecosystems: GRAVE
A Transnational Sound Installation Project
GRAVE, an outdoor sound installation created by pianist and transdisciplinary artist Simão Costa (Portugal), reimagines pianos at the end of their life by placing them in natural, rural, or urban environments where they generate sound autonomously through innovative electromechanical induction devices. Without human intervention or conventional tuning, these pianos produce ethereal, out-of-tune melodies, reflecting the intersection of art, nature, and time.
Featuring old, unrecoverable locally-sourced pianos that operate autonomously through solar-powered, electromechanical devices, the installation is designed for minimal maintenance and energy independence, each installation is expected to run for decades without interruption The project is recently initiated in Portugal with the support of municipal entities and seeks European partners from the cultural, ecological, and educational sectors to join us in applying for EU funds to bring this unique, poetic vision to life in different landscapes in Europe.
Deliverables might include workshops, conferences, a good-practices guide, a documentary, a testimony book, and an online map with GPS coordinates of the installations.
We invite entities interested in contemporary art, sustainability, technology and ecological reflection to collaborate designing a project together.
A short video where Simão Costa presents the first pilot sound installation in the following link can be viewed with auto-translated captions: https://youtu.be/Uqgrjw0dn80?si=qsb-r5vi85YvDVf6

ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION

Founded in 2010, the MãoSimMão (MSM) Cultural Association is dedicated to contemporary art creation across various disciplines. MSM focuses on blending art with science, technology, and ecology, considering art and science as the core drivers of human knowledge. Under the artistic direction of Simão Costa, MSM collaborates with national and international artistic, academic, and scientific institutions.
MSM’s focus revolves around interdisciplinary connections, bridging art forms like music, dance, theater, and visual arts with scientific and technological fields.
Over the past decade, MSM has brought together artists and thinkers to explore transdisciplinary artistic creation, technology, and ecology, forming a collective focused on research, action, and thought.
Artists involved in projects of MSM prioritize research and experimentation, merging diverse disciplines and engaging with visual arts institutions while organizing their work collaboratively across teams.
MSM's key areas of involvement include artistic creation and circulation, research for reflection, and artistic mediation facilitating access to creativity through innovative projects like “Tactile Listening” and workshops exploring creative processes.
Overall, MãoSimMão is committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary art by integrating disciplines, fostering collaboration, and providing access to creative experiences through their diverse projects and activities.

Data publikacji: 24/03/2026