Burnt air

This exhibition, the third one organised by the Gernika Peace Museum in collaboration with the MHLI (Historical Memory in Iberian Literature) research group, features the sound installation Aire errea (Burned air) by the artist Xabier Erkizia (Lesaka, 1975). The installation is a reflection on the noise of war, linked to the broad-ranging and complex imaginary of war in terms of how it has been constructed not only through images, but through sound too. Few approaches exist that seek to explore the sounds of war, despite the fact that armed conflicts involve all senses, hearing most particularly. What does war sound like? This is the question the artist asked himself when making this installation. Based on the description provided by a witness to the bombing of Gernika, Erkizia explores the notion of Aire errea (Burned air), which refers to the fire that raged after the attack.

The exhibition is divided into three sections. The first space contains documents; the second an audiovisual presentation of the research carried out into the famous air-raid sirens; and the third an installation featuring appliances that generate sounds associated with the sirens that warn us of approaching danger.