Félix Blume: Listening as Raw Material
Born in 1984 in the south of France, Félix Blume is a sound artist and sound engineer who shapes the world through listening. Trained in Toulouse and later at INSAS in Brussels, he lives and works between France, Mexico, and Brazil. Deeply rooted in field recording, his work explores the sounds of living beings, human voices, and soundscapes—whether natural or urban. For him, sound is a vector of connection, memory, and poetry.
A Collaborative and Contextual Practice
Blume conceives his works as shared experiences. He collaborates with local communities, uses public space as a field of experimentation, and often weaves collective narratives with environmental sounds. His projects give voice to the invisible: insects, migrants, children, street vendors, or natural elements. This sensitive and political approach transforms listening into an act of attention and transmission.
Key Works and Recognitions
Among his most iconic creations:
- Los Gritos de México (2015): a sound piece on the cries of street vendors in Mexico City, awarded the Pierre Schaeffer Prize at the Phonurgia Nova Awards.
- Curupira, Forest Creature (2018): a sound film about a mythical figure of the Amazon rainforest, winner of the Soundscape Prize.
- Luces del Desierto (2021): a short film awarded at the Alternativa CCCB and Côté Court festivals.
- Fuga: a work on migrant trajectories, included in the collection of the National Center for Visual Arts (CNAP).
- Rumors from the Sea: an installation of bamboo flutes singing with the waves, presented at the Thailand Biennale.
A Versatile and Accessible Body of Work
Blume presents his projects through installations, films, podcasts, and radio pieces. He generously shares his recordings on platforms such as Freesound and SoundCloud and leads masterclasses to pass on his passion for listening. His solo exhibition Stealing Silence (2023) at the Sonic Protest festival showcased works such as Swarm, The Crickets of the Dream, and Sound Alone, inviting audiences into a sensory and poetic immersion.
A Political Approach to Listening
For Félix Blume, listening is an act of resistance against the standardization of perception. His work questions borders, identities, and contemporary myths. By capturing the sounds of the world, he invites us to pay attention to the invisible, to relearn how to listen to our surroundings, and to recognize the richness of the voices around us.