A Winter in Tabarca: Sound, Memory, and Island Life

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A winter on Tabarca is a new exhibition project launched by the Alicante Water Museum in Izmir. The initiative follows Garrigós wells, inviting visitors to experience the island through sound and image. The Alicante-born artist Aurora Domínguez spent a true winter on the island this year, roaming its surface for three months, noticing every nook, speaking with islanders, and recording their voices across the entire setting. The aim is to preserve a precious sonic legacy by sharing it publicly and offering a fresh way to enjoy Tabarca through listening. The show remains for three months, set in the city’s ancient cisterns until September 2.

Audiovisual work by Aurora Domínguez combines projected imagery of the island with a promotional video that captures the moment of arrival, the landscape, and the island’s life—animals and plants featured, humans not present. The artist explains that the main goal is to safeguard collective memory and sound heritage while inviting audiences to become aware of what sustains the island environmentally and culturally. The project invites viewers to experience a different rhythm of life on the island, prompting reflection on what it means to inhabit place responsibly. The sounds collected reveal the daily life of the community, where 55 residents are counted and 22 stay through the winter months.

Aurora Domínguez presents her audio-visual exhibition “A Winter in Tabarca”

Cries of seagulls, the chatter of birds, the meow of cats, the wind through posidonia, the lapping of waves, the hum of kitchens, the clamor of boats, and neighborly conversations populate the route through the three Pozos de Garrigós caverns. These sounds form three poetic pieces, each paired with a musical segment capturing dawn, midday, and dusk, guiding visitors to create mental spaces through listening and to use color cues that signal mood or moment.

A sound map accompanies the project, guiding a gentle island tour by listening to the field recordings gathered during Domínguez’s stay. QR codes link to meteorological, ethnological, marine, and ornithological sounds, while interviews with locals include everything from cat meows echoing at night to the intimate chatter of wintertime neighbors.

When winter reveals Tabarca’s beauty, it becomes clear how quickly precious places can fade if not cared for. The artist emphasizes the importance of keeping the island vibrant and prevent it from being perceived as a place slipping toward oblivion. An area like Pozos de Garrigós, intimately connected to water and to Tabarca itself, is highlighted as a space both magical and crucial.

This exhibition marks the third installment in an ongoing Arts and Environment cycle organized by Aguas de Alicante. The program invites contemporary artists to transform sites into experiential spaces. The idea is to turn the wells into venues for reflection on current environmental issues and artistic responses that promote collective awareness. A Winter in Tabarca aligns with World Environment Day on June 5 and provides a vivid projection of Domínguez’s experience and skill.

Martín Sanz and Aurora Domínguez at the exhibition opening

About Aurora Domínguez Mata

She studied Architecture at the Technische Universität in Berlin and earned a degree in Philosophy and Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid. She has been part of the Plastique-fantastique and Popticum collectives, both based in Berlin.

Her artistic practice includes actions, public interventions, video, installation, and photography. She teaches projects and communications at IED Madrid, the Higher School of Design. Her work ranges from large public performances to immersive installations. Notable projects include a wide array of collaborative pieces with Plastique Fantastique, and multi-sensory exhibitions across Europe. She is currently developing a project to raise awareness of Alicante’s architectural heritage through a series of conversations called A Walk in Alicante, which gathers insights from cultural experts to value the city.

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