The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Santander and Cantabria (MAS) will host a new activity on 16 October as part of the cultural cycle 'El MAS en la calle'. This initiative invites participants to discover the museum's history, transformation, and identity through a sound journey authored by art historian, critic, and former director Fernando Zamanillo.
Titled 'De Aquiles por la calle hacia el trabajo' (From Achilles down the street to work), the project, developed by the company Ruido Interno, offers an immersive experience that combines literature, memory, sound creation, and architectural space. Participants will use wireless headphones to follow a narrative specifically crafted for this event.
Noemí Méndez, the Councillor for Culture, emphasised Zamanillo's involvement, noting his deep connection to the museum's history. She stated, “We want the MAS to be a vibrant, accessible space for all audiences, where visual arts coexist with literature, new technologies, and performance proposals.”
The sound journey features a contemporary Achilles as the central character, guiding the narrative of the museum's evolution over more than four decades. The story begins on a spring morning in 1983, as the protagonist heads to his job at the former AMAR. Through his thoughts and memories, the tale evokes the cultural and social atmosphere of that era, referencing musical influences like Las Vulpes, reflections on artistic avant-gardes, and allusions to Homer's Iliad.
The narrative then shifts to an autumn afternoon in 2026, where the retired Achilles returns to the renovated building housing the MAS, creating a dialogue between two historical moments and different understandings of museum spaces. This text encourages reflection on the passage of time, the institution's evolution, changes in museography, and various ways of experiencing art, using words and sound as tools to activate memory.
The experience, technically designed by Ruido Interno, will ensure that the narrative, ambient sounds, and the museum's space form part of a cohesive artistic proposal. There will be three sessions at 18:30, 19:15, and 20:00, with reduced groups of a maximum of 23 people per session to ensure a quality experience and the proper functioning of audio devices. Participation is free, and access will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis until each session reaches capacity.
'El MAS en la calle' is an initiative promoted by the Santander City Council in collaboration with cultural agents to enhance the interaction between the museum, contemporary creation, and the public. The programme features contributions from Ruido Interno, a Cantabrian company specialised in scenic and audiovisual projects, known for developing cultural proposals that blend various artistic disciplines and technological resources. The cycle will continue on 20 November with an immersive virtual reality experience that will propose new ways to perceive and interpret artistic spaces.
