The soundscape composition "l’ora senza nome" (eng. the nameless hour) is an extraordinary journey into another dimension of Venice. This innovative work delves deep into the lagoon's acoustic ecology, offering a transformative auditory experience that sheds light on the city's rich tapestry of sounds and the challenges it faces. "l'ora senza nome" transcends musical boundaries, immersing audiences in the often overheard sounds of Venice and its surrounding lagoon. Through a meticulous blend of field recordings captured with unconventional microphone setups, De Marco unveils a sonic trip that reveals the city in ways previously unexplored.

The composition serves as a poignant reminder of the fragile balance between Venice's natural habitat and the encroachment of anthropological noise pollution. By juxtaposing serene moments with the cacophony of urban life, "l'ora senza nome" prompts a reevaluation of our relationship with the environment and underscores the importance of preserving its diversity. Listeners will embark on a journey off the beaten track, venturing to abandoned islands and exploring the city at odd hours. De Marco's masterful interweaving of field recordings creates a symphony of contrasts, offering a kaleidoscopic array of auditive perspectives that capture the essence of Venice in its rawest form.

<<"l'ora senza nome" is more than just a composition; it's a call to action>> remarked De Marco. <<Through the power of sound, we have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of Venice's unique ecosystem and advocate for its protection>>. With "l'ora senza nome" Ramon De Marco invites audiences to listen with fresh ears and embrace the beauty that lies beneath the surface of one of the world's most iconic cities.

This work consists of a selection of raw field recordings originally collected for With.in - Belonging is Here, an exhibition curated by Metaxy Curatorial Kollectiv and held in Venice in 2021. In fact, I was invited to contribute to the project with environmental recordings as to represent my personal sense of belonging to the place, Venice. I then organized some field trips for recording the audio materials from scratch. Every time I found myself in a place and hit the "rec" button, I asked myself the question: what does it mean to feel at home? These recordings were taken during evening/night time, over winter. They represent a possible listening window onto reality, considered in the peculiarity of the exact moment in which it is perceived & then sampled.

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Below, some notes about the practice on site.

45°26'26.3"N 12°19'20.1"E
NOS stereo technique with microphones spaced 30 cm apart and angled at 90°. Microphones were placed on a wooden pier, in front of the Santa Lucia railway station, Santa Croce neighborhood.

45°25'59.2"N 12°18'39.2"E
NOS original stereo technique with microphones spaced 30 cm apart, keeping the housings in parallel like an AB set up, and pointing upwards.This recording is taken in "cavana", a typical covered shelter for boats, along the Santa Marta area dock, Santa Croce neighborhood.

45°25'47.1"N 12°20'07.0"E
DIN stereo technique with microphones spaced 20 cm apart and angled at 90°. Recordings taken in a depot for moored boats, close to Punta della Dogana, Dorsoduro neighborhood.

45°25'51.8"N 12°20'04.4"E
EBS stereo technique with microphones spaced 25 cm apart and angled at 90°. The recordings were made in front of a gondola station on the Grand Canal, Campo della Salute, Dorsoduro neighborhood.

45°27'15.6"N 12°23'13.0"E
DIN stereo technique. The recording was made in the island of Sant'Erasmo, on the back of a green area along the main navigation internal channel, Venice lagoon.

Recorded at 24/48 kHz.
Headphones recommended.
This is a field recording work. 

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Mastering by Miguel Carvalhais.

Photo cover by Giacomo Gandola.

Thanks to everybody at Metaxy.
Thanks also to Enrico Bettinello for the connection.

Belonging is Here, Venice by Enrico Coniglio is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.galaverna.org.