Earthscapes / 35°2′4.34″N, 135°43′5.51″E

Anna Godzina (b. 1990) is a Moldovan visual and sound artist based in Antwerp, Belgium, working on spatial sound compositions and sculptural installations. Through field recordings, graphical scores, and found objects, she reinterprets landscapes, exploring their resonance in personal and collective consciousness. Her approach focuses on capturing the narrative of a place, seeking ways of relocating and translating experiences into sonic and visual dimensions.

Infused with animistic qualities, using engines, light sources, water pumps, audio speakers, and air compressors, she explores materials, objects, and sounds for their potential to create layered and intricate environments, responding to the in-situ qualities of the exhibiting space.

Godzina studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where she graduated with a master degree in 2019 and was awarded the Hugo Roelandt Prize 2019, the Mathilde Horlait-Dapsens Foundation Prize 2019 and the STRT Schot prize 2019. She is an internationally renowned artist, whose work has been exhibited at the S.M.A.K. in Gent (2017), Beursschouwburg in Brussels (2018), ERGO in Athens (2020), M HKA in Antwerp (2021), Art Encounters Biennale in Timisoara (2023), and Z33 in Hasselt (2024). Her work is represented in the collections of a.o. the M HKA in Antwerp, the Flemish Community, and the Verbeke Foundation, as well as in numerous private collections.

Her latest research at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, addresses the possibilities of making hardly perceivable changes in our environments - sensorially tangible, by positioning recording devices such as contact microphones inside landscapes. From remote peripheral areas to city environments, the sounds of a specific location inside a time span were documented with the use of sound maps, sound scores, hydrophones, and geophones.

The installation consists of platforms inspired by the “stone islands” of the Ryōan-ji garden in Kyoto. Each platform is covered with a layer of fine iron powder, sourced from a rusted sea wall. When iron is exposed to seawater for a prolonged period, it rusts, becoming fragile and brittle. With great precision, Godzina extracted the iron from the weathered wall and ground it finely in her studio. This iron powder was then carefully spread over the rectangular platforms.

Beneath the powder’s surface lies a second dimension of the artwork: mechanical arms with powerful magnets rotate slowly. With each turn, the iron comes to life; the particles stand upright whenever a magnet passes beneath. This continuous motion creates concentric rings in the iron powder, reminiscent of the serene patterns found in the Ryōan-ji Zen garden, where gravel is meticulously raked into wave-like formations. The result is a delicate interplay of movement and stillness, engaging the senses and reflecting nature’s essence.

Created by Anna Godzina

Production: Werktank

Photo’s and video: Frank Holbein

Audio: Raphael Malfliet

Part of the ongoing research project “Sonifying Landscapes” by Anna Godzina at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

This sub-project has received funding from the SOILSCAPE project (Grant Agreement no. 10115651) through its Open Call, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.