OZEAN SONOR
Honoured with the Digital Art Award Zurich 2024
3-channel live data sound installation and projection
supported by ggg foundation kulturkick programme
The sound installation OZEAN SONOR consists of three large low-frequency loudspeakers and an audio interface connected to real-time data from various oceans. The installation translates wave activity at different coastal locations into an audiovisual experience. The loudspeakers not only reproduce sound but also make the vibrations of the generated waveforms visible to visitors through the movement of their large speaker membranes.
The height and period of the water waves serve as the basis for generating corresponding sound waves, which are produced using audio programming software. This results in an immersive sound bath of three different waveforms filling the room. The varying wave heights create subtle frequency differences, leading to interesting beating phenomena between the three speakers.
the installation was shown at digital arts festival zürich, zentralwäscherei zürich, festival offener genres basel and at gallery anja e. brinckmann basel.
Waves are everywhere.
Whether visible or invisible, audible or simply felt – waveforms flow through our world in countless forms. They carry energy, information, and emotion. From the rhythmic motion of the ocean to the sound of a voice, from light and radio signals to the electrical impulses in our brains – waves are the underlying patterns that connect nature, technology, and humanity. Their omnipresence makes them a fascinating phenomenon, bridging the realms of science, art, and everyday life. Especially ocean waves have the quality to realize this concept of omnipresence of waveforms. Sitting on the beach and listening to the waves has a soothing, meditative quality that naturally draws us into a state of active, attentive listening. Moreover, it clearly reveals the interplay between sender and receiver: the wave, originating from the distant ocean – perhaps even from another continent – ultimately reaches the local shore. In contrast, with other waveforms such as radio waves, this relationship is not as visibly or tangibly perceptible.
The sound installation OZEAN SONOR engages with this omnipresence by presenting an audiovisual sound bath that reveals the interconnectedness of waveforms.