Samuel Thulin

Nowhere in the desert
01.10–02.16.2019

Nowhere in the Desert arose from Thulin’s discovery of an accidental collection of over 70 audio files appearing at a remote point in the Libyan desert in the sound map view of the Freesound audio-sharing platform. The sounds range from synthesizer drones to seaside field recordings, to coffee pot sound effects and spoken word radio excerpts—none of which bear any obvious connection to the location where they appear on the map. Nowhere in the Desert (re)composes the audio files through processes of fragmentation and redistribution based on metadata, research on the Libyan desert, and responses to questions the artist posed to the contributors of the files revealing that the sounds were actually produced in New York City, Pretoria, Thunder Bay, Ciudad del Este, and other locations. The work creates a desert soundscape from the chance intersection of these places, questioning the relationship between physical place and its digital representation, and resonating with lost and impossible places, such as mythic oases and mirages.