The Half Note project is an interactive sound installation centered on the theme of human trafficking. A central core—womb—and a deconstructed horn-trumpet produce vibration and sound through distance sensors, simulating the automatic bodily reactions associated with the sensation of fear.  

The material qualities (nylon stocking fabric, milky plastic membrane, wire, zippers) reference human flesh and its commodification while also evoking elements of the clothing worn by sex workers. The cold, industrial materials express dualities such as freedom and entrapment, life and death.  

The installation’s form is dual, indirectly alluding to the male-female binary. The trumpet and womb shape refer to the feminine, while simultaneously, the trumpet’s form functions as an anti-phallic scream. The visitor "invades" the womb with their head, and potentially as a phallic presence, aligns with male identity in order to hear the sound of the piece. In their attempt to listen, the womb begins to pulsate, expressing emotions such as anxiety, distress, and fear.

Maria Bolia is a visual artist and sculptor based in Athens. She is a graduate of the Interior Architecture department at the University of Western Attica. Currently, she is a student in the Master's program at Ionian University, in the department of Sound and Image Arts, titled "Audiovisual Arts in the Digital Age." Additionally, she is studying at the Athens School of Fine Arts in the Department of Visual Arts with a focus on sculpture. Her goal is to create works in both analog and digital forms, as well as in combination, that experiment with materials, techniques, and technologies.