"Hear There" @ CAC Woodside

Hear There - 2011

This installation is an exploration of spatial and aural experience through the manipulation of a vertical surface.  The insertion of a wall of cones filters existing soundscapes and invites alternative modes of activation.  The construct creates space for concentrated listening, broadcasting messages, discrete eavesdropping or speaking confessions and other interaction.  Cones are employed because of their dual ability to focus and project sound.  Additionally, their geometry results in contrasting spatial effects.

interior

projected light on adjacent building

sound recordings coming soon...

Fan Music 02 - Vestibule @ CAC Woodside

A fan positioned on the floor above the vestibule at Woodside Chapel activates the space below.  This recording is taken entering the vestibule and recording along the perimeter of the 8' x 8' x 12' space.

I was immediately struck by the distinct fluctuations of the sound while recording along the wall.  A spectrogram reveals that 120 Hz is the most reinforced frequency within the space.   

Cone Wall: Full Scale Mock-up

process

exterior

interior

Cone Experiment 01

 

  

As you can see from the spectrum analysis of the clip above, the sound of the spoken poem and certain frequencies are amplified depending on the size and shape of the cone.  These frequencies are registered as the layered bands in the middle of the image.  

This test confirms the listening properties of the cone shape as well as the filtering quality it has.  In this experiment, the microphone/ear had to be right up against the small opening of the cone in order for the cone to have any noticeable effect. 

 

A walk around Woodside Church

Troy, NY

New Tools (toys)

After a weekend trip to B+H Superstore in NYC...

 

- Zoom H4n digital recorder

- Audio-technica condenser microphone and XLR cable

- microphone stand

Intervention @ CAC Woodside

Fan Music @ CAC Woodside

Recordings of the overhead fans from 4 different positions within the two-story space

White noise?

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Leakage/Linkage @ CAC Woodside

Sonically connected physically disparate spaces:

The music that is playing is coming from a neighboring room as the sound travels through the plenum space above the ceiling and into my room via the large ornate grating above the bed.   The whirring of fans from the main studio space can also be heard though they are separated by several feet and partitions.

Precedents: Athanasius Kircher

Residency @ Contemporary Artists Center Woodside - 01

Yesterday I arrived in Troy, NY for a month long artist residency!  I plan on spending my time working on the development and construction of the wall installation discussed in my previous post "Architectural Elements as Acoustic Filters". 

My studio space for 4 weeks!

Beginnings...

cone models

Precedents: Listening/Speaking horns

multi-horn system

Image from Scientific American