This One-of-a-Kind Water Harp Plays a Song of Sustainability

Water and music are both essential essences of life. One sustains out bodies, while the other nourishes heart and soul. Such poetic notions inform an elegant environmental initiative from OniriaTBWA in Paraguay. 

The agency joined with nonprofit Sounds of the Earth and draftsman Fernando Amberé Feliciángeli to create a gorgeous glass-and-iron harp. Fitted with complex hydraulics and custom software, the instrument employs shimmering jets of Paraguayan river water as strings to produce a song of sustainability:

As Alexandra Britos caresses the cascading droplets, the harp plays “Recuerdo de Ypacarai” by Demetrio Ortiz, a tune about lovers on the shores of a lake.

“The effect is achieved by means of a sensor located in the lower part of the jet, which detects when the water is interrupted, and emits an electrical signal that activates the sound,” OniriaTBWA partner and chief creative officer Camilo Guanes tells Muse. “The sensor is a handcrafted piece, created and made exclusively for this project.”

This takes the concept of melodic flow to a higher level. “Water Harp” wins the week!

Here’s a project video and an informative making-of reel:

Currently touring concert venues with the H2O Sounds of Water Orchestra, the harp draws inspiration from Paraguayan culture and Guarania folk music. The South American nation ranks among the world’s foremost freshwater reserves, so issues of pollution and eco-viability loom large.

“We wanted water to have a voice,” Guanes says.

This website contains detailed information and calls to action. The campaign culminates on March 22, World Water Day, when the harp will be auctioned off, with proceeds benefitting the cause.

CREDITS

Water Harp
Client: Sounds of the Earth – Paraguay
Agency: ONIRIATBWA
Composer and craftsman: Amberé Feliciángeli
Responsible for client: Luis Szaran, Lucha Abatte, Marcela Laterza

General Creative Direction: Camilo Guanes
General Manager: Daniel Achaval
Creative Direction: Paloma Cella, Manuel Rolón, Marcelo Rodríguez
Art Director: Santiago Valdez
Account Director: Gaby Tomé
Account Executive: Fio Pomata
Production Director: Pauli Jara
Producer/Photography: Juanjo Villa