Philter, sound installation (2023)
Philter is an installation begun during my Instrument Inventors Initiative (iii) residency in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2023. In this first iteration of my research, during the Solar Choir workshop offered during this residency, I invited participants to wander around public spaces, equipped with their solar collectors made to record the pulsations of various light sources (see below). These recordings were used to compose four soundtracks.
As part of the Flipchart exhibition at iii, the installation featured light projections whose rays passed through a variety of glass and crystal objects found at local flea markets. Each soundtrack was transduced through these light waves. The subtle vibrations of light carried the soundtrack information with them. Visitors wore headphones linked to devices with amplified solar sensors, enabling them to re-translate the sound compositions carried by these light waves. They were thus able to recreate a new sound composition through movement in space and the proximity of the solar sensors to the light sources.
This intimate listening experience holds the potential for the listener to be navigated by the attraction and repulsion of sound vibrations, leading the audience to wander according to its modalities, capturing (like antennae) and recreating its sonic and vibratory reality. This translation process introduces its own layer of distortion, capturing all the light sources present in the solar collectors, mixing and reshaping sensory experiences.
Solar Choir ((Optical Sound Devices)), workshop (2023)
During the Solar Choir workshop, participants built their own optical sound device using an amplified solar panel to transform light into sound. The workshop introduced participants to the basics of electronic soldering and circuit building using homemade chemicals with a hands-on approach to electronics. It also introduced the concept of transducing energy from the visible to the audible domain. In the second part, the participants explored these listening devices during an organized nocturnal walk organised at the Gamestate game arcade.
The aim will be to listen to the rhythmic pulsations emanating from various light sources and render them in their physical environment, revealing a new, sensitive dimension of the urban landscape as we wander.
Public presentations
11.11.2023 : Flipchart #11 : Luminous Reverbarations, Instrument Inventors Initiative, Den Hagen, Netherlands
10.21.2023 : Solar Choir ((Optical Sound Devices)) Instrument Inventors Initiative, Den Hagen, Netherlands
Aknowledments
I would like to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, as well as the Instrument Inventors Initiative and perte de signal centers, for their financial support of the iii/0 residency.
Photo credits
Peter Kers (exhibition)
Helena Roig (workshop)
Stephanie Castonguay (creative process documentation)