Sterntaler

Sterntaler is a sound installation made by the Berlin based collective hands on sound. Accompanying an exhibition of gold jewelry made by young designers from Berlin, they attempted to resemble the sound of gold dust.

The team placed 70 piezo disks on the window and walls of the exhibition space. Metallic sounds were played through these little speakers, creating a whispering invitation to passers by to enter the store. I love the subtlety of this installation. We don’t need heavy amps and subs all the time.

Job Field

Right now the earth is packed with snow in the Netherlands, but this picture was taken on a sunnier day. And even without hearing it this installation the image of Job Field inspires my imagination. A group of old-style telephone horns peak out of a field. 

Each of the telephone receivers of this sound installation - created by Benoit Maubrey - announces job openings in the earea. The job openings are downloaded from the internet and played ‘live’ through the installation. 

83,7 Kilo Ohm

German artist Erwin Stache created the interactive installation 83,7 Kilo Ohm. The installation is placed in public space, inviting passers-by to touch it, play with it and thus create their own sound and music with it. If more people touch the installation, they can also shake hands and touch each other to influence the sound. 

Each time two or more of the metal tubes are touched, the sound, playing from the speaker attached to the base, is triggered and manipulated. Some of the (more interesting, if you ask me) parts are more abstract, electronic sounding, while others are precomposed pieces of music a participant can ‘conduct’. 

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Sonorous Bench: Sound Art in Public Space

There is a small tunnel underneath the railroad in Amsterdam where sounds similar to dripping water come from the walls. The first time I passed it I did not notice it right away, as the sounds are not very loud. But then I realized the experience of passing through that tunnel was more pleasant than usual. I love these sonic surprises and I wish I would encounter more of them throughout the city. 

This Sonorous Bench created by Clint Davis, Jaime Oliver, Jacob Sudol and Chris Warren, all students at the San Diego’s music department of the University of California, is another great example of sound art in public space. Two transducers emit resonance frequencies of the bench, and make it sing. It is not too loud, just a nice, subtle addition to the urban soundscape.