With its somewhat otherworldly appearance, the sculpture Air Frequencies stands at the sound trail like an oversized hat that you can step under and listen. Ceramic resonator filters are inserted into its hollow metallic resonance body. These resonators follow the principle of a Helmholtz resonator: a resonance phenomenon similar to that of a conch occurs within a cavity that serves as a frequency mixer.
A special amplifier
As soon as you place your head under Air Frequentes, you can immerse yourself in the intoxicating sound of the surroundings. Air currents and winds serve as triggers. But even when there is no wind, you can still hear the surrounding soundscape through the filter of the resonators.
The quiet becomes audible – the whispering, the sounds of small creatures, the supposedly distant acoustic world comes close. With Air Frequencies, the artist Vincent Martial created an amplifier of the sound environment without the use of electricity.
The resonators
When the wind blows, different frequencies emanate from each resonator with varying intensity depending on the strength and direction of the wind. The number of ceramics – each one hand-made by a ceramist – forms a soundscape with multiple frequencies, as they occur when the wind blows through nature. The supporting structure is equipped with strings that vibrate with the wind and harmonize the ensemble of sounds produced.
In addition to conches, hollow spaces such as glasses or cans can also trigger this effect. We can even create this 'rustling' sound with our hands if we form a small dome over our ear. If there were no external sounds – in a soundproof room, for example – we would not hear anything in the conch or hand dome either.
About the artist
Vincent Martial is an artist, musician and composer. He started out as a flautist and percussionist and has since explored various soundscapes with the help of sound devices and musical instruments that he has designed, developed and built himself. He is interested in the sounds and movements that are created live during performances, but also in the sound environment itself, the attention we pay to it, and its use in the artistic field.
vincentmartial.com ↗
