From April 28 to May 24, a distributed multimedia installation will simultaneously connect the Coral Museum and Alghero Airport. Designed by the Sassari Conservatory as part of the MUSIC4D project, the work uses Artificial Intelligence to transform visitor movement into a regenerative gesture, breathing life back into virtual coral reefs through a unique sensory experience.
PALERMO, April 24, 2026 – An invisible thread will unite the historic heart of Alghero with the constant flow of its airport starting Tuesday, April 28. This is not merely a geographical link, but a distributed digital ecosystem titled “Remote Decay.” Conceived by the School of Electronic Music at the “Luigi Canepa” Conservatory of Sassari, the work represents one of the most innovative milestones of MUSIC4D—the extensive PNRR-funded project that sees eight Conservatories across Sicily and Sardinia collaborate with the Universities of Palermo and Calabria to redefine the boundaries of contemporary artistic production through emerging technologies.
“Remote Decay” transcends the traditional multimedia performance, positioning itself as a poetic act of conscience toward one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems: coral reefs. While in the real-world rising temperatures and anthropogenic impact condemn corals to slow erosion, this installation reverses the human-nature relationship. Through their movements, the spectator ceases to be a disruptive agent and becomes the engine of rebirth. Every gesture, captured by sensors and processed in real-time by sophisticated AI algorithms, infuses new vitality into the virtual ecosystem, making each experience unique and unrepeatable.
The technical operation of the work is the result of research curated by a professional team led by electronic music professors Riccardo Sarti, Walter Cianciusi, Roberto Musanti, and former student Alfredo Puglia. The composition is based on actual underwater recordings of endangered coral reefs; these “particles” of sound and imagery – witnesses to the natural decay of the coral – are regenerated by stimuli received from the public. The true revolution lies in the distributed nature of the installation, made possible through synergy with SOGEAAL (management of the Alghero Riviera del Corallo Airport) and the Fondazione Alghero (management of the Coral Museum). The two sites are connected via the internet, creating a constant dialogue where the actions of a passenger waiting at the terminal can influence the soundscape of a visitor in the silence of the museum, metaphorically highlighting how every individual action has global repercussions.
“With Remote Decay, we wanted to demonstrate how AI can be a true ‘digital organism’ capable of empathy toward nature,” emphasizes Maestro Riccardo Sarti, professor at the Sassari Conservatory and project co-director. “Our goal was to overturn the paradigm of environmental damage: in this installation, the human being stops being the cause of reef degradation and becomes the sole source of its regeneration. The most fascinating technical challenge was the work’s distributed nature. By connecting the Airport and the Coral Museum, we created an invisible bridge where a traveler’s gesture transforms sound and imagery for someone in the heart of the city. It is a poetic warning: every action we take, no matter how small or distant, has a profound impact on the fragile ecosystems around us. Bringing this experiment to a public context like Alghero means restoring a social function and a conscience-awakening role to technology.”
The project, which had its international premiere last January at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt, Germany, followed by a presentation in the Maldives in February, is supported by the patronage and video contributions of the Porto Conte Regional Nature Park. Until May 24, residents and travelers will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this interactive scenario: while engagement at the airport is designed to be swift and adaptive to the flow of travel, the public at the Coral Museum on Via XX Settembre can enjoy a slower, more conscious exploration. With “Remote Decay,” MUSIC4D reaffirms that technological innovation, when guided by the artistic sensitivity of Higher Education, can become a universal language capable of awakening consciences and restoring a sense of belonging to the natural world.
The installation will be on display from April 28 to May 24, 2026, at the Riviera del Corallo Airport and the Alghero Coral Museum. For further information, please visit:
https://www.conservatorio.sassari.it/Post/view/-9223372036854773203 Alghero Coral Museum
https://museialghero.it/museo-del-corallo/
