THE (W)HOLE PROJECT

Beneath every city runs a network of cables, servers, and protocols — invisible, essential, and largely unquestioned. (W)HOLE makes these infrastructures tangible: engraved manhole covers across six locations in Zürich embed QR codes that unlock distinct augmented reality environments, each corresponding to a stratum of digital life — Earth, Cloud, City, Address, Interface, User.

The sound design for (W)HOLE functions as an environment in itself. Composed in dialogue with the AR and web spaces, it guides audiences through each layer via two stereo hemispheres, while a distinct sonic imprint anchors each layer on the project's website. Drawing from personal studio recordings and compositions, sounds archived from social media and the internet, and online sound libraries, the work is grounded in the concept of the Third Soundscape — a soundscape that engages memory and reveals hidden or forgotten elements through attentive listening. The result is an atmospheric continuity that moves with the audience across formats: public space, screen, and augmented reality.

(W)HOLE is a transmedia project by Clusterduck, commissioned by Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Zürich (KiöR), 2025.

composition and sound design by Matto Zoppi
project by Clusterduck