LO-04: Sound Art

One piece I found particularly interesting was Keiko Uenishi’s LandFilles. It is a structure made out of recyclables, with an “instrument” made out of used plastic bottles that Uenishi moves to interact with the piece. An algorithm (she doesn’t describe it) then interprets her movements as though the bottles were a tube or resonance chamber to create sound, while a separate person uses video cameras, lights, and monitors to change the environment of the instrument. It’s a great example of how to find uses for anything, and I find the concept of natural resonance extremely interesting. It was fascinating to see how to algorithm read Uenishi’s movements with the structure of bottles to create these hollow, airy sounds. It also had an interesting range and tone, between a lower brass instrument such as a french horn, and the upper limits of a flute, while also incorporating piano-like sound as well. The program involved most likely follows something such as a set of sensors throughout the bottles, or a mapping program which follows their movement, then models a chamber for sound that is then played through speakers. It presents Uenishi’s personal views of the environment as conservation-focused, as the entire structure is built from recycled materials, and the sounds coming from the instrument aren’t your typical beautiful notes. It produces eerie, unsettling pitches that I can only see as a commentary on our treatment of the environment.

http://soundleak.org/works/landfilles