A-FRAME

Synopsis
“A-Frame” was recorded in the remote Siwa Oasis, immediately after the sound recordings made for SONA, a project to be presented in Venice in October 2026 as part of the Biennale Musica. Born from that landscape, the track carries the presence of water, the central element of both the composition and the imagery from which it takes shape. Edgy electronics and epic orchestral atmospheres create an intense, cinematic soundscape. The word “water”, spoken in different languages, emerges within the composition like a mantra. The track is accompanied by a short film shot entirely by hand inside an aquarium, whose seabed evokes that of Lake Titicaca, associated in shamanic tradition with the idea of water as a keeper of humanity’s memory. Water thus becomes visual matter and a space of transformation.

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Context
Shot entirely inside an aquarium, Aframe transforms an enclosed space into an imaginary ocean. The sea becomes a metaphor for solitude as responsibility: every gesture generates consequences, and individual journeys ripple into a collective destiny. Here, water is not merely a setting but an original substance: it welcomes, consumes, regenerates. It preserves memory and enables metamorphosis—the fluid matter in which life is generated and transformed.

The protagonists are the Fireflies, paper figures born from the original drawings of my father, Giuseppe Curto (1926–2025). Cut out and animated on beeswax bases, they float like small rafts of salvation, symbols of community and migration. Throughout the film, these figures ignite and slowly sink. During their descent, luminous crystals evoke suspended fireflies—signs of hope and transformation. Reaching the bottom, the Fireflies rise again and emerge as new presences.

The migrants on the boat sink and become crystal fireflies. As they rise, their metamorphosis continues toward a starry sky created from one of the artist’s crystal works, releasing them from samsara into fulfillment and peace. The set was built by hand inside an aquarium, with a backdrop inspired by Lake Titicaca, considered by shamans to be the guardian of humanity’s memory. Paper, beeswax, threads, and water poured manually—with minimal post-production—restore a fragile and authentic visual language.

The original music is composed by Stefano Curto under his musical alias Stenox and is part of the album Aframe, conceived as an integral narrative structure of the work. The track was recorded in the Siwa Oasis after completing the first field sound recordings for SONA, a sound tribute to Water as generative origin, which will be presented in Venice in October 2026 during Biennale Musica.
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Credits
Direction / Concept / Original Music: Stefano Curto (Stenox)
Cinematography & Editing: Mattia Bello
Watercolor Skies: Sabina De Rosso
Paper Figures: Alex & Federica (Mimicoco)
Beeswax Preparation: Ivano Zavarise
Music Mastering: Sebastian Meyer
Production Support: Pantxoa Larreguy
Hospitality (Siwa Oasis): Fox
Original drawings: Giuseppe Curto (1926–2025)