CELL (CARNIVALESQUE)

 

An immersive experience
A clash of cultures
A sonic battle
between a 'heavenly' high culture
and a 'degraded' low subculture

The participant experiences an auditory illusion
of being aurally stretched standing between two sound sources processed via a sheppard algorithm as
avant-garde operatics harmonize with dub sub bass

 

Sound Sculpture / Installation

3.5.m x 0.7.m Security Step Trigger Pads

CD PlayerAmplifier

Speakers

 

Sheppard-Risset tones are sounds that go up (or down) indefinitely. They are the auditory equivalent to M.C. Escher's famous etching "Ascending and Descending" which depicts an endless staircase. Sheppard-Risset tones are made of a set of partials whose amplitude is bounded by a bell- shaped curve Over time, the frequency of each partial is shifted upward, while its amplitude is adjusted to fit the bell curve. New partials enter the lower end of the bell curve while partials reaching the other end of the curve disappear. As a result, the overall frequency of the sound is constant, but is perceived as going up continuously. Descending sounds are created similarly by shifting the partials downward.