Murmures du Château – An immersive sound work by Shawn Pinchbeck
La Napoule Art Foundation invites you to discover Murmures du Château, an immersive sound work by Shawn Pinchbeck, an electroacoustic music composer, sound designer and former artist-in-residence at the Château de La Napoule.
Created from more than twelve hours of recordings made in and around the Château, this 57-minute work reveals the sounds that shape the identity of the site: footsteps and voices echoing through its rooms, doors opening and closing, birdsong, rustling leaves, passing trains, the nearby beaches and the constant presence of the Mediterranean Sea.
Recorded using an ambisonic microphone that captures sound in 360 degrees, the piece recreates the full depth and spatial dimension of these sound environments when experienced through headphones. Shawn Pinchbeck transforms familiar sounds, which usually pass unnoticed, into a sensory journey through the Château and its surrounding landscape.
Following this launch event, Murmures du Château will remain available for visitors to experience freely through headphones inside the Château during its regular opening hours.
Programme
4:30 pm: Welcome address
Introduction to the event and the sound work
Presentation of Shawn Pinchbeck
An introduction to the artist’s practice and the creation of Murmures du Château
Listening session featuring an excerpt from the work
An immersion in the soundscape of the Château
Drinks reception
An informal gathering on the terraces of the Château
Practical information
- Venue: Château de La Napoule – Avenue Henry Clews – Mandelieu-La Napoule
- Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026
- Time: from 4:30 pm
- Admission: regular Château admission: €6 / €4 reduced rate
- The presentation, listening session and drinks reception are included in the Château admission ticket.
Learn more about the artist – Shawn Pinchbeck
Based in Edmonton, Canada, Shawn Pinchbeck is an electroacoustic music composer, sound designer and media artist. Active since the mid-1980s, his multidisciplinary practice encompasses composition, field recording, interactive installations, performance, video and digital creation.
His work explores how sound can reveal the identity of a place, evoke memories and transform our perception of our surroundings. His compositions combine recorded sounds, transformed sonic materials and electronic or synthesized elements.
Shawn Pinchbeck’s work has been presented at festivals and artistic events in more than fifteen countries. He has also composed for film, dance and a variety of audiovisual projects. His work notably appears in the award-winning documentary The Corporation.
He holds a Master of Music and a PhD in Music Composition from the University of Birmingham and regularly teaches and lectures at art schools and universities in Canada and Europe.
Developed over the course of three residencies at the Château de La Napoule between November 2024 and February 2026, Murmures du Château grew out of his close attention to the sea, the spaces of the Château and the “hidden music” found within everyday sounds.
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