2020
MATERIALS: 16x magnetometer probes, analogue sinewave oscillators, loudspeakers, amplifiers, wire.
MEASUREMENTS: site specific / 8 m x 8 m x 3,5 m
EXHIBITION HISTORY: Donaueschinger Musiktage 2022, ’Fischhaus’, Fürstlich Fürstenbergisches Schlosspark, Donaueschingen, Germany.

At the intersection of sound, visual art, and science, Beneath, aims to challenge our sensory perception through the sounding of magnetic energies underground. In our perception of stillness, we are in fact participating in a frenetic exchange of invisible energies. Through this work, we the audience can listen to the auditory ‘result’ of autonomous electro-magnetic systems that are constantly changing with fluid magnetic fields. This installation examines the particular magnetic energy and geophysical composition at the site-specific location, ’Fischhaus’ a 19th-century pavilion in Fürstlich Fürstenbergisches Schlosspark.

All moving charged particles produce magnetic fields of varying strength. An immensely powerful magnetic field is formed by electric currents that are generated from liquid iron convection within the Earth’s core. Known also as our planetary magnetosphere, this magnetic field extends out from the planet’s core into space, shielding us from charged particles of solar wind and cosmic rays. An invisible force, magnetic fields necessitate human and planetary function. They are integral to modern technology, from engineering, mechanics, and navigation, and are essential in making our planet habitable.

At the technical heart of the installation are a grid of probes containing custom made magnetometers, an instrument used to measure Earth's magnetic field. These autonomous probes are installed in the ground of the pavilion, and are directly connected to a corresponding grid of loudspeakers inside of the pavilion. Each probe acts as a live receiver of the current magnetic field. Compositional data of the soil surrounding each probe informs and alters each live magnetic signal. (A technological approach that can be found in archaeological and geophysical survey operations). Beneath is an open and dynamic work, whereby these custom built systems explore invisible shifting energies of the Earth’s magnetic field.

 

 

Commissioned by Donaueschinger Musiktage

Realized with support from the Danish Arts Foundation, KODA Culture, Knud Højgaards Fond, Danish Cultural Institute and SNYK

 

 

 

 

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