The Bridge between Visual and Aural
Festival van Vlaanderen Kortrijk 21/04 - 05/05 2013
Ville Sonore 2013 / art sonor international map
“[...] the bridge gathers to itself in its own way earth and sky, divinities and mortals.”[1]
Concept
The project situates itself at the crossroads between architecture - involving visual and haptic qualities - and sound. It gathers the Heideggerian concept of the fourfold (Earth, Sky, Mortals, Divinities), which I would like to call gaze (visual), embracing Earth and Mortals as something that mortifies, and voice (aural) uniting Sky and Divinities into something that vivifies.[2] While standing on a bridge, a new landmark of the city of Kortrijk, the idea is to mix sonic narratives with a visual journey; to build bridge between aural and visual. This is realized through vibrations within the structure of the bridge and its surrounding environment. The produced sound invites the spectator to stop and focus his/her attention to the view. The narratives are not directly connected to the seen image; they rather serve as a meditative element. The sound walk will guide the audience across the river Leie, while discovering the city view from new infrastructural elements (i.e. bridge) through real-time sounds from the surroundings. The river that flows below, the terrain surrounding the bridge and other suitable elements that provide sound through vibrations, such as hollow metal structures and wires connecting different parts of the bridge, will be used as a source. Using hydrophones and contact microphones, movements and vibrations producing sound will show the viewer a vibrant life that goes beyond the visual.[3]
Realisation
The bridge will be mapped with hydrophones/contact microphones (27mm piezo element) connected to an amplifier in order to translate the vibration-based input to an audible output. The microphone placement will be decided on the spot. A small box, produced in a recognizable shape, positioned on the bridge, will provide a spot where the spectator can connect his/her headphones and hear the hidden sound.
[1] Martin Heidegger, "Building Dwelling Thinking", Basic Writings, (New York: Routledge, 1993), 355.
[2] Slavoj Zizek, "I Hear you with My Eyes, or, The Invisible Master," Gaze and Voiceas Love Objects, (Durham: Duke University Press, 1996), 93.
[3] Ibid.,
Ville Sonore 2013 / art sonor international map
“[...] the bridge gathers to itself in its own way earth and sky, divinities and mortals.”[1]
Concept
The project situates itself at the crossroads between architecture - involving visual and haptic qualities - and sound. It gathers the Heideggerian concept of the fourfold (Earth, Sky, Mortals, Divinities), which I would like to call gaze (visual), embracing Earth and Mortals as something that mortifies, and voice (aural) uniting Sky and Divinities into something that vivifies.[2] While standing on a bridge, a new landmark of the city of Kortrijk, the idea is to mix sonic narratives with a visual journey; to build bridge between aural and visual. This is realized through vibrations within the structure of the bridge and its surrounding environment. The produced sound invites the spectator to stop and focus his/her attention to the view. The narratives are not directly connected to the seen image; they rather serve as a meditative element. The sound walk will guide the audience across the river Leie, while discovering the city view from new infrastructural elements (i.e. bridge) through real-time sounds from the surroundings. The river that flows below, the terrain surrounding the bridge and other suitable elements that provide sound through vibrations, such as hollow metal structures and wires connecting different parts of the bridge, will be used as a source. Using hydrophones and contact microphones, movements and vibrations producing sound will show the viewer a vibrant life that goes beyond the visual.[3]
Realisation
The bridge will be mapped with hydrophones/contact microphones (27mm piezo element) connected to an amplifier in order to translate the vibration-based input to an audible output. The microphone placement will be decided on the spot. A small box, produced in a recognizable shape, positioned on the bridge, will provide a spot where the spectator can connect his/her headphones and hear the hidden sound.
[1] Martin Heidegger, "Building Dwelling Thinking", Basic Writings, (New York: Routledge, 1993), 355.
[2] Slavoj Zizek, "I Hear you with My Eyes, or, The Invisible Master," Gaze and Voiceas Love Objects, (Durham: Duke University Press, 1996), 93.
[3] Ibid.,
