When Sound Art, Gastronomy & Ecosystems Meet: Lecture and Listening Session by Maribel Tafur – 13.03.2025

Mar 10, 2025

Presented by: ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture
Location: Carrer de Espronceda 326, Nave 4-5, 08027 Barcelona
Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 19:00
Free Admission

As part of the European project Theatre in Palm, which supports emerging performing artists through mobility and collaboration, ESPRONCEDA Institute of Art & Culture is pleased to host this special lecture. Join us on Thursday, March 13, at 19:00, for an immersive exploration of sound, nature, and culinary creativity.

What emerges when sound art, gastronomy and ecosystems come together? In this lecture, the creator explores the intersection of these fields, showcasing how they intertwine in her latest projects.

Lecture Abstract: Maribel Tafur will explore the intersection of sound art, gastronomy and ecosystems. Through a hybrid experience, combining the listening of sound works with explanations of her creative process, she will showcase how these elements have been integrated into projects. Her work focuses on crafting compositions and designs that use sound and music as a medium to evoke landscapes, identity, traditions, and the human relationship with nature, materialized in discographic works and award-winning multisensory experiences.

Attendees will gain insights into the narrative and technical aspects behind each project, as well as the artist’s creative and conceptual approach. With years of collaboration with gastronomic and sustainable organizations such as Slow Food Bilbao-Bizkaia, Mater Iniciativa and visionary chefs like Virgilio Martínez (Central, Maz, Mil), Pía León (Kjolle), Bittor Arginzoniz (Etxebarri) and Gabriel Huaman (Waman), her work merges culinary and sonic practices in innovative ways. She recently won the Golden A’ Design Award for her soundscapes work for Central Restaurante.

PROJECTS DESCRIPTION:

EGUZKIA-INTI: This project, in collaboration with Slow Food Bilbao-Bizkaia and chef Gabriel Huamán, blends the sound and gastronomic heritage of two territories: the Basque Country and Peru. Through a sound narrative, these compositions aim to connect culinary traditions, sonic memory, and the biodiversity of both areas, creating an experience that explores the power of sound to enhance the sensory perception of gastronomy and the uniqueness of their landscapes.
MATER SOUNDSCAPES OF PERU: In this project, the artist collaborated with world-renowned chef Virgilio Martínez and the biological and cultural research center Mater Iniciativa, exploring Peru’s biodiversity, ecosystems and altitudes through an album that integrates the sounds of natural environments, native ingredients and electronic instrumentation. Each track represents a specific elevation above sea level (MASL), taking listeners on a journey from the ocean floor to the extreme heights of the Andean region.
ULTRANATURA with SOUND EARTH LEGACY: A meditation album released on Earth Day in collaboration with Sound Earth Legacy and Bye Bye Plastic Foundation. This production was conceived to promote meditation and well-being through compositions based on recordings of endangered species and natural environments, while also raising awareness about the urgent need for the protection of our ecosystems. It was presented through an immersive silent disco experience, allowing guests to fully enjoy the album and engage in conversations with the creator after the session.
KJOLLE: Soundscapes composed for Kjolle, the gastronomic experience of world-renowned chef Pía León. These compositions are the restaurant’s permanent sonic atmosphere, crafted to reflect its culinary concept and philosophy. Inspired by Peru’s biodiversity, the soundscapes capture how Kjolle’s ingredients—sourced from different ecosystems—interact, evolving through processes and techniques. A sonic expression of textures, colors, biodiversity and memory, integrated into the multisensory experience.

Maribel Tafur is a composer, producer, sound designer and entrepreneur, founder of Intune, a company specializing in experience music solutions in Peru, and her own creative studio in Barcelona. With 14 years of experience, she combines her passion for sound art and music design with a master’s degree in music therapy and advanced training in audio recording and post-production. Throughout her career, she has worked on multisensory projects ranging from gastronomy and hospitality to installations and video mapping, collaborating with renowned brands and institutions. Included in Forbes’ 2022 list of Peru’s 50 Most Creative, her current focus as a musical experience designer is on creating global sound solutions that blend art and technology, connecting with companies, space designers, chefs and creative agencies.

Maribel Tafur - Photo by Jose Mari Martinez