Room Signature 1

8-channel audio recording of the impulse response of the corridor system in PROGR, Bern

14,400 x 2,200 cm
Transmitter: double funnel on a loudspeaker stand; receiver: 8 microphones

2006

Room Signature 1

Technical basics
An explosive device is detonated in a tube equipped with a double funnel and protective netting. The sound wave propagates through the corridors of the building and is reflected at many points. At another site, eight microphones are installed along a passage to measure the different waves and their wave fronts.

Artistic concept
Is there a sculpture that touches all areas of the exhibition space, without restricting or impinging on the visitor? The PROGR in Bern is an old schoolhouse, exhibiting the echo acoustics characteristic of such buildings. The special features of this building include two wings, which are connected by only one corridor on the third floor. Could one wing be used as an echo chamber for the other? And how would that sound? As the title of the work suggests, this work was conceived as a series, whereby the impulse response measurements from the exhibition space serve as “temporary sculptures”.

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