MUR 018 | FRAU VON DA // || THE UNHEARD PRESENCE
"The Unheard Presence" is a sound-driven, site-responsive project by FRAU VON DA //, developed by interdisciplinary artists Claudia van Hasselt and Nicolas Wiese during their residency on Ishigaki Island. Known for their intuitive, research-led approach that fuses performance, sound, video, and expanded listening, the duo investigates the latent voices of the island’s coastlines and marine ecologies.
Rooted in acts of empathy, sonic sensitivity, and collaborative exchange, the project explores what remains unheard—ecologically, politically, and culturally. Engaging with local fishers, marine scientists, spiritual practitioners, and regional historians, Claudia and Nicolas focus on subtle presences: the communication of reef systems, the traces of militarization in the soundscape, and the rituals of mourning practiced along the shore.
Through the creation of temporary “listening spaces”—part installation, part performance—the project invites audiences to attune themselves to Ishigaki’s intertidal and underwater acoustics. Hydrophone recordings, oral narratives, ambient frequencies, and speculative sound compositions come together to form immersive acoustic landscapes where the boundaries between human and non-human, memory and future, are dissolved.
By amplifying these overlooked or submerged frequencies, "The Unheard Presence" reclaims listening as a form of awareness, care, and resistance. It expands MA Umi Residencies’ commitment to multispecies storytelling and place-based knowledge, offering new ways of sensing and imagining coexistence at the edge of land and sea.
Claudia van Hasselt is an interdisciplinary artist, classical mezzo-soprano, and producer based in Berlin. As a founding member of the artist collective FRAU VON DA //, she integrates her vocal expertise with performance, sound art, and research-based installations. Her work often explores the intersection of art and science, engaging with ecological and societal themes. Claudia has participated in events such as the Berlin Science Week, contributing to performances that examine life forms within ecosystems like the Oder River.
Nicolas Wiese is a Berlin-based audiovisual artist and composer working at the intersection of sound, image, and spatial installation. With a background in communication design and sound studies, his practice spans electroacoustic music, performance, and experimental media. Wiese’s work explores mediated perception and the layering of memory through found materials and live improvisation. He has presented internationally at venues including the British Film Institute, Festival Sonikas (Madrid), and the Tehran Digital Art Exhibition.