Akouo
2016
Baum & Leahy and Jolien Van Schagen
Exhibited at Sonar+D, Barcelona
2016
Baum & Leahy and Jolien Van Schagen
Exhibited at Sonar+D, Barcelona
Akouo embeds immediate sounds from the surrounding
environment into its soft body. Within the object a microphone, a loop
mechanism and a transducer records, loops and continuously plays out
surrounding sounds, animating and augmenting the object with sonified memories.
Inspired by Marconi’s theory that when a sound is made it doesn’t disappear, but remains as exponentially decreasing vibration in the environment, in objects, and our bodies. Bringing into question the wholeness of the human sensory world, Akouo speculates on creating the ability to sense these non-audible sounds. Ambient noises are encapsulated and reverberated through the object, thus giving it sound memory.
Seeing the body as an object equal to its surroundings, Akouo plays on the paradoxical notion of anthropomorphobia (the fear of recognising human-characteristics in nonhuman objects) and the desire to touch; sensations simultaneously comforting yet unnerving. Akouo affords an intimate interaction, inviting one to touch, speak, listen, and consider the presence of noise.
Inspired by Marconi’s theory that when a sound is made it doesn’t disappear, but remains as exponentially decreasing vibration in the environment, in objects, and our bodies. Bringing into question the wholeness of the human sensory world, Akouo speculates on creating the ability to sense these non-audible sounds. Ambient noises are encapsulated and reverberated through the object, thus giving it sound memory.
Seeing the body as an object equal to its surroundings, Akouo plays on the paradoxical notion of anthropomorphobia (the fear of recognising human-characteristics in nonhuman objects) and the desire to touch; sensations simultaneously comforting yet unnerving. Akouo affords an intimate interaction, inviting one to touch, speak, listen, and consider the presence of noise.
© Rose Leahy 2020