Not only does Kristen Roos work with the frequency range audible for human beings, but also many other frequencies and vibrational phenomena are of high importance in his work. He makes different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum perceivable for human beings … read more
Points of Contact by Erfan Abdi
Big eyes as contact microphones, a bird cage as a loudspeaker, and two double spring objects of which one functions as a microphone and the other as a loudspeaker: this is the inventive set-up Erfan Abdi uses for his performance … read more
Vestiges of Discomposition and other works by Simon Whetham
Before Simon Whetham begins his performance, he asks you to close your eyes. However, I could not help but open my eyes briefly a few times. I saw Simon walking around slowly, holding a cymbal in his hands. A tactile … read more
Touche Nature by I-lly Cheng
Vibrations of loudspeaker membranes cause air pressure waves, which our hearing system perceives as sound. As long as they are travelling through the air, these sound waves remain invisible to human … read more
Small Movements by Adam Basanta
In his set-up for Small Movements (2016), Adam Basanta uses two microphones and seven loudspeakers in different combinations to create acoustic feedback. The sound of the feedback is surprisingly “clean”: it contains not much noise, but focuses essentially on a … read more
Speaker Dress by Pauchi Sasaki
Our clothes can be seen as a form of communication between ourselves and the outside world. They give a visual impression of who we are and how we would like to be seen by others. Pauchi Sasaki designs dresses which … read more
Apart by Oscar Bettison
As I describe in chapter three of Between Air and Electricity tuning forks are in some ways a kind of predecessor of microphones and loudspeakers. They can also be seen as a predated sine tone generator. Tuning forks were extremely … read more
Sound in a Jar by Ronald Boersen
In Sound in a Jar (2016) by Ronald Boersen three performers— Ronald Boersen himself, Dganit Elyakim and Hadas Pe’ery—move three different microphones back and forwards to a very small loudspeaker placed in a jar. As Ronald explained me, this piece … read more
Transducer by Robin Fox and Eugene Ughetti
In Transducer (2013), you may easily recognise all kinds of “classical” playing techniques for microphones and loudspeakers, twisted in surprising and clever ways. This results in a performance which reinvents and expands known pieces such as Steve Reich’s Pendulum Music… read more
Fifty years of loudspeakers and ping pong balls
Some objects seem particularly suitable for use in preparing loudspeakers. Perhaps ping pong balls were favored objects for this due to their lightness and characteristic sound. Comparing several of these set-ups reveals that—fortunately!—using a similar technology can still result in … read more