Soundwalk collective & Patti Smith

Following on from the immersive exhibition Evidence, presented at the Centre Pompidou in 2022, Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith continue their association with the institution, presenting a new version of their project Correspondences.

Correspondences is an ever-evolving work, born from an artistic dialogue spanning more than ten years. It brings together Soundwalk Collective – made up of artist Stephan Crasneanscki and producer Simone Merli – and the iconic writer and musician Patti Smith. At the origin of this project are the sounds and images gathered by Stephan Crasneanscki in the most remote and vulnerable regions of the planet. This raw material was then entrusted to Patti Smith, opening new territories for her poetry to explore. Blending film, music, poetry and sound creations, Correspondences thus takes the form of an immersive journey. From melting glaciers to the vastness of the desert, the performance immerses the audience in the heart of the natural elements, guided by Patti Smith's evocative poetry. Through the evocation of various figures – poets, filmmakers, revolutionaries – a play of ‘correspondences’ then emerges. A nod to the epistolary exchanges of the nineteenth century, as much as to the bridges thrown between places and eras. A powerful reflection on the fragility of humankind and of all living things takes shape, running subtly beneath the surface. Created in 2023 in an open form designed to evolve over a decade, Correspondences is presented here in a version enriched with new creations by Patti Smith.

Co-presented by Centre Pompidou and Philharmonie de Paris.