ph~ Adriano Mura - Courtesy Fondazione Querini Stampalia
Materials
Aluminium, paints, compression horn speakers, 3D-printed PETG FC, amplifiers/audio players, cabling, 304 steel
Size
200 x 200 x 200 cm
Notes
53' 10'' electroacoustic Ambisonics composition
Spatial-sound sculpture, Sound-Art installation based on 3rd order Markov Chains studies, freely inspired by the composition "A Carlo Scarpa, architetto, ai suoi infiniti possibili" by Maestro Luigi Nono.
Possible Infinities weaves together music, visual arts, architecture, and innovative technologies into a single narrative, creating an immersive and multisensory experience that explores the delicate balance between the natural and digital worlds.
At the heart of Carlo Scarpa’s Garden, a space already imbued with poetic resonance and historical depth, Alfeo presents a site-specific sound sculpture, the second chapter in the Biomimesis Series (2/7). The multi-channel spatial sound installation is freely inspired by the composition "A Carlo Scarpa, architetto, ai suoi infiniti possibili" by Maestro Luigi Nono. It acts as a bridge between the geometries of space, musical vibrations, and life forms yet to be discovered.
Part of the Biomimesis Series, the work shown at Querini Stampalia is one of a group of hybrid creature-sculptures generated through computational analyses of musical scores. These are sensitive technological structures, new living bodies that resonate with their own life code.
The energy coursing through them echoes the behavior of the Selaginella (commonly known as the false Rose of Jericho), a desert plant capable of fully dehydrating and entering a dormant state for long periods, only to revive with just a few drops of water. Like the Selaginella, the sculpture awakens, withdraws, and is reborn, embodying a perpetual cycle of transformation.
Possible Infinities reflects on the dynamics of techno- hybridization and hyperconnectivity in contemporary society, giving form to a collective creature suspended between nature and machine.
Possible Infinities, on view from October 17 to November 30, 2025, in the Carlo Scarpa Garden at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, is part of the official program of the 8th edition of the Luigi Nono Festival, taking place in Venice from October 30 to November 29, under the theme Fragments. Organized by the Fondazione Archivio Luigi Nono, the Festival is a major interdisciplinary project aimed at enhancing the legacy of the renowned composer through dialogue between music, visual arts, installations, and performance.
The Biomimesis Series and the Technology Behind Possible Infinities
Possible Infinities, the second chapter of the Biomimesis Series, explores compositions by authors who have passed on, or who have transformed into forms beyond our comprehension. While rooted in musical scores, these works evolve into hybrid sound sculptures powered by advanced algorithmic systems.
MCDSBA (Markov Chain Driven Structural Blooming Algorithms)
This system translates musical scores into three-dimensional graphs, from which new sound sequences are generated in harmonic continuity with the original composition. Based on Markov chains, the algorithm analyzes the memory of musical notes across successive intervals, capturing the composer’s intent through probabilistic models. However, this is not a simple reconstruction, the aim is a profound transformation, akin to a musical reincarnation.
The process involves multi-level transformations that give rise to structures resonating on both micro and macro scales. These scores become living sonic bodies, organized through mathematical logic, yet imbued with organic sensitivity.
Dataset
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Author: Luigi Nono
Composition: A Carlo Scarpa, architetto, ai suoi infiniti possibili
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Object: French Horn
Reiterations: None
Sequence length: 4434 items
Pitch Class list length: 10
0 -0.768149 -0.3294 -0.680445 11 -0.7317 -0.322367 0.136507 2 0.723629 -0.823786 -0.296783 3 -0.0589363 -0.146281 -0.137078 4 -0.653006 0.430268 -0.442158 5 0.725178 -0.34241 -0.851746 6 0.570021 0.446275 0.753528 7 -0.219214 1. -0.61304 8 -0.457464 -0.411195 0.998084 9 -0.629255 -1. -0.365765
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courtesy~ render Valerio Pesci
courtesy~ render Valerio Pesci
Credits
Funders
Antonio Messina (Sanitanova Srl) and Luigi Battista (Caffè Bristol Battista);
Companies
Carenza Colori Srl (paint supply), 3DP Servizi (3D printing), and Euroalluminio;
Francesco Vitucci, co-developer of MCBSBA;
Mino Annunziata, transcription of the score Luigi Nono – A Carlo Scarpa, Architect, to His Infinite Possibilities;
Federico Gentile, 3D modeling;
Valerio Pesci, 3D renderings;
Olesea Bojinov, video documentation.
