Unseen

Sonic WalkScape at the border

UNSEEN was created to remember Blessing Matthew and all those who have lost their lives crossing borders. This sonic walkscape is dedicated to them—an immersive walk that seeks to restore voice to stories forced into invisibility.

This Sonic WalkScape follows the paths between Montgenèvre and La Vachette through a journey of listening and participation, as an act of collective memory. An immersive sonic narrative composed of voices, sounds, and landscapes, it is presented on the occasion of Commemor-Action 2026, the international day of struggle against the regime of death and violence at borders. The score is made up of testimonies from activists and volunteers, field recordings, sounds and original music, together with data on the case of Blessing Matthew gathered by geographer Cristina Del Biaggio—who took part in the counter-investigation alongside Border Forensics and the association Toutes et Tous Migrants.

Sonic WalkScape is a format conceived by BANDITE that brings together artistic and sonic practice, fieldwork, and the active involvement of local communities. Developed through a custom app, it takes shape as a site-specific and participatory work that weaves together territory, memory, and community through storytelling and walking. It functions as a mobile sound installation in which participants, equipped with smartphones and headphones, are guided along a route via a map with geolocated points, where original audio content activates—voices, testimonies, songs, field recordings and environmental sounds.