Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax!

This installation, created together with Illart Alkorta, is a synthetic-ecological system in permanent listening. Its form is shaped above all by a population of frogs, among them the typical San Sebastián frog, Hyla meridionalis subsp. synthetica.

According to the calendar and environmental factors such as temperature or humidity, it deploys different dynamics and behaviours –spontaneous, non-human– that can be perceived through listening. This leads us to understand the installation as a living organism.

The installation also proposes a reflection on silence, listening, the spontaneity of sound events and sound as a sign.

It is, at the same time, an investigation into the habits and dynamics of this species of tree frog. What drives a frog to break the silence and emit a sound? What dynamics give rise to a chorus of frogs? What qualities does that sound have and what do they mean to us?

Exhibitions

Main staircase, Tabakalera, San Sebastián (from 12 February to 26 July 2026)

Events

Night listening at Tabakalera: Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax! (12 February 2026) – Guided tour

Sound artist, independent researcher and curator Mikel R. Nieto will activate his sound installation Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax! on the main staircase of Tabakalera. It is an ecological and acoustic system that combines real and synthesized frogs, in which you can hear the song of the typical San Sebastián frog, Hyla meridionalis subsp. synthetica, together with the sounds generated for the installation.

The activation will demonstrate the installation’s ability to replicate, imitate, synthesize and abstract frog sounds. For this reason, Tabakalera will exceptionally open its doors at night, outside its usual hours, in a context that invites reflection on silence, listening and the spontaneity of sound events.

The activity is open to the public (with prior registration) and requires no prior knowledge or special equipment. Mikel R. Nieto will give a brief introduction before listening to the natural and synthesized songs of the frogs.

Press

Noticias de Gipuzkoa
Diario Vasco
Gente Digital
Europa Press
Kulturklik

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to María del Pilar Nieto Bueno, Raúl Ruiz, Olatz San Sebastián, Xabi Rubio, Jaime de los Ríos, Alba Fernández, Rubén Jurado and family, Miquel Gatell, Gloria Bosch, Zoe, Lua and Itzel, Tania Cavada, Lur Alkorta, Iñaki Alkorta, Mari Jose Andoaga and Maixux Ibañez.