Sonic Beams/Acoustic Shadows
Produced by: IRZU – Institute for Sonic Arts Research, Ljubljana
The piece is the first artistic derivative of a research project exploring haptic feedback interfaces based on ultrasonic pressure waves. The main idea that motivated the approach was rather utopian and envisioned an interface that would allow a musician to mould and shape some instance (abstraction) of a sound with his bare hands. While changing the shape of this – preferably immaterial – object the musician would experience its new shape and hear its acoustic appearance. A prototype instrument utilizing 97 ultrasonic transducers, one ultrasonic receiver and a mixing board was implemented for a very specific use – within the composition Sonic Beams /Acoustic Shadows utilizing a “no-input mixing board” audio aesthetics.
