The installation, the 11th annual Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall, runs from October 13, 2026, to April 11, 2027, with free admission. Atoui, a Lebanese sound artist and composer born in Beirut in 1980, moved to France in 1998 to study economics and electroacoustic music. His work for the Turbine Hall is deeply inspired by the space's unique acoustic and spatial properties. It builds on decades of collaboration with instrument-makers, researchers, engineers, and musicians.
The installation integrates ancient instrument families, such as shengs (mouth organs from China and Southeast Asia), Korean drums, and Uzbek karnai horns. These are combined with electronic technologies and 3D-printed horns crafted from sugar resin and bamboo dust. Textiles, some up to 30 meters long, are suspended within the hall, oscillating with its wind currents. These textiles not only move but also generate and transmit sound.
Microphones embedded throughout the installation capture sounds from the instruments and the Turbine Hall itself. This audio is then processed and played back by custom software developed by Atoui, ensuring an ever-changing soundscape. Visitors are encouraged to explore the space, sit, or lie on stones placed on the ground to feel the vibrations of the sound. The Turbine Hall will also host regular live sound-based performances, where musicians will integrate into Atoui's installation, using it as a dynamic sound system.
Atoui's broader artistic practice often involves extensive research into music history and instrumentation, leading to the engineering of complex and inventive instruments. His work is highly collaborative, bringing together musicians, instrument-makers, engineers, and researchers from various regions. He has secured funding and exhibition opportunities from institutions globally, including the Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Art Prize in 2022, which provided a USD 200,000 cash award and funding for solo exhibitions. Projects like "The Ground" (2015–ongoing), "The Rain" (2019–ongoing), and "The Harvesters" (2021–ongoing) have been showcased at international venues such as Mirrored Gardens in Guangzhou, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, the Venice Biennale, and the M+ Museum.
"I see the Turbine Hall as a sound vessel." — Tarek Atoui, The Art Newspaper
This commission is made possible by the long-term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor, established in 2014. This collaboration is the longest initial commitment from a corporate partner in Tate's history and also supports the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational. Additional support for the commission comes from the Tarek Atoui Supporters Circle and Tate Americas Foundation. The soundscape of the installation is designed to be in constant flux, with no two visits offering the same experience due to the interplay of instruments, environmental factors, and the custom software. The live performance program will also feature different local and international musicians, ensuring the "living environment will constantly evolve throughout the run of the commission."