The project

 

What happens to something that exists, present in the world, but condemned to be perceived by no one?

 

31:59 sound is a philosophical art experiment — a 31-minute and 59-second audio file created by an artificial intelligence, with the only input being the word "sound", that remains unheard - even by the artists. The only copy is locked on a black CD-R encrypted with an irretrievable password so complex that it would take far beyond the age of the universe to break it, it echoes Schrödinger’s thought experiment: Occupying a state of potential—art that exists in a realm of infinite possibilities but is forced to remain unknowable and unheard. This piece confronts us with the essence of creation, where the artist’s role is relinquished to an algorithm, and the art’s existence itself is in question: Is art defined by creation or perception? 

 

Does it truly exist if it has never been heard? In 31:59 sound, the boundaries blur, inviting contemplation of existence itself.

 

 

 

 

The artists

 

Park Matter is a collaborative duo consisting of Matthieu Pehau (*1993) from Strasbourg, France, and Philipp Bartz (*1989) from Andernach, Germany. Both artists work across different disciplines. As Park Matter, they explore the boundaries between art and the speculative, positioning art where humanity can no longer prove but merely suggest, where certainty fades and the unknown and improbable begin.