Description

The audience speaks into the bells of two French horns. Sound is inhaled into an alchemical apparatus. The collected voices become chaotically entangled within the tensile confines of an expanding latex balloon. Trapped inside the captured aether words collide, fragment, and recombine, modulating their contextual and phonetic arrangement. A soundscape of ricocheting voices is perceived, emerging from deep inside the balloon. Over time, the pressure becomes too great and like a sonic capacitor, sound is freed from its reservoir.

The valves open. Airborne voices are forced through a series of reflective steel cornets towards an elastic membrane where mechanically induced friction compels the collected voices to incandesce. Behind the pulsating membrane, an iris opens, slowly releasing the luminous voices towards a series of glass lenses and mirrors. From here follows a five-part choral harmony of mirrors that builds into a final cacophonous performance of rhythm and light.

Credits

PETER VAN HAAFTEN | MICHAEL MONTANARO | GARNET WILLIS

PETER VAN HAAFTEN
Creative direction, concept and design, composition, sound design, interaction design, programming, electronics, acoustics.

MICHAEL MONTANARO
Creative direction, concept and design, visual design / realization, interaction design, optomechanical design, fabrication.

GARNET WILLIS
Concept execution, visual design / realization, acoustics, mechatronics, materials validation testing, tooling and fabrication.

SPECIAL THANKS
Martin Marier, Nima Navab, Thierry Dumont, Tatev Yesayan, Carolie Delisle.

This artwork was made possible through the generous support of Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des Arts de Montréal, Fonds de recherche du Québec.