Manuela Ribadeneira's 'Ouça' at Casa Triângulo Explores Volcanic Silence and Social Catastrophe

Manuela Ribadeneira's exhibition 'Ouça' occupies the ground floor of Casa Triângulo in São Paulo until July 14. The Ecuadorian artist, based in London, began her research two years ago with a visit to Armero, Colombia, site of the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcano tragedy that killed half of its 50,000 inhabitants. Ribadeneira's scientific-poetic show features large-scale architectural sculpture, wall drawings, blown glass sculptures, photographs, video, and a sound installation. A central sculptural wall cuts through the gallery, displaying the word 'Ouça' (Listen). The exhibition includes 'Temblores Armónicos III,' a wall drawing created by removing painted surfaces to reveal a topographic and sonic map, and 'Los Culpables,' small bronze sculptures of fingers pointing in various directions. Blown glass pieces represent the volcano's thirty seconds of silence before eruption. Ribadeneira's work investigates how geological and social phenomena intertwine, using scientific recordings of harmonic tremors—inaudible sounds compressed by researchers—that increase in frequency until a scream precedes the eruption. The artist states that being in Armero revealed how the natural disaster was unavoidable, but the human tragedy could have been mitigated with proper warning systems.