Water Harp
Sounds of the Earth - Paraguay
Issue 62 | March 2022
Agency
ONIRIA\TBWA
Creative Team
General Creative Direction Camilo Guanes Creative Direction Paloma Cella, Manuel Rol n, Marcelo Rodr guez Art Director Santiago Valdez
Production Team
Production Director Pauli Jara Producer Juanjo Villa Photography Juanjo Villa
Other Credits
General Manager Daniel Achaval Account Director Gaby Tom Account Executive Fio Pomata Client Musical Maestro Luis Szaran Orchestra team Lucha Abatte, Marcela Laterza Composer and craftsman Amber Feliciangeli
Date
January 2022
Background
The world has a water crisis. 1.1 billion people lack access to water and 2.7 billion experience water scarcity at least one month a year.
Despite its huge aquifers, only half Paraguay’s poorest homes have access to drinkable water.
Orchestra H20 Sounds of the Earth was created by Paraguayan maestro Luis Szaran in 2002 to promote education through art. Beautiful music was created from scrap metal.
Idea
The H20 Sounds of Water orchestra was created to spread awareness of water shortages by using instruments made from bottles and hoses etc. For a concert to be held at Expo 2020 in Dubai in February 2022, a new instrument was made based on the Paraguayan Harp, Paraguay’s national instrument.
Made from glass-and-iron the water harp didn’t have strings but used jets of Paraguayan river water. When the harpist’s fingers break a jet, a signal is sent and a sound created. Thus the running water is turned into notes of music.
A website, https://sonidosdelatierra.org.py/, gave more details about the Sounds of the Earth’s mission and its other projects.
Results
The initiative is due to end on March 22nd 2022, World Water Day, when the water harp will be auctioned to help raise funds for the Sounds of the Earth water projects.
Our Thoughts
So, 20 years ago the amazing Luis Szaran started an academy to try and teach disadvantaged kids that they could make something of their lives through music.
Today there is a Philharmonic orchestra, a Women’s orchestra, an orchestra of nothing but harps and now an orchestra that travels the world playing its water-inspired music.
One mission, to inspire children, has led to another, to warn the world. Young people are able to talk to older generations through art rather than through protest.
You can see the orchestra (playing their amazing instruments and the water harp) on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOlKweHd8cw
