/*hz*/ - II
Sound InstallationLength: 15 minutes in loop
This project arose from an open call by the University of San Martín (UNSAM, Buenos Aires, Argentina) to produce a site-specific piece for The Tank Auditorium, an old diesel fuel tank of approximately 1070 m3 that formerly belonged to the now-dissolved national railways company. In November 2019, the first work in progress was pre- sented and it is still under development.
/*hz*/ - II is a sound installation that explores the acoustic properties of the UNSAM Tank Auditorium; it can be defined as an auscultation of the architecture and history of the tank. As the listeners walk within the tank, they discover its resonances and echoes. The work integrates three different “states” that randomly alternate. Each state dialogues with the aural architecture of the Tank Auditorium from different angles:
/*hz*/ - II is a sound installation that explores the acoustic properties of the UNSAM Tank Auditorium; it can be defined as an auscultation of the architecture and history of the tank. As the listeners walk within the tank, they discover its resonances and echoes. The work integrates three different “states” that randomly alternate. Each state dialogues with the aural architecture of the Tank Auditorium from different angles:
- Resonances on room modes: A drone that evolves spectrally is built over the six room modes (58.6 Hz, 82.7 Hz, 88.2 Hz, 105 Hz, 125 Hz and 219 Hz). The drone is deployed through four speakers, equidistant from each other, located on the room’s perimeter. Perceived as a single sound, the drone’s frequency balance changes with the listener location.
- Rhythms over the echoes: Rhythmic patterns are specially composed to interact with the time of the tank echoes. The echo time was assessed to 40 ms by analyzing the center position impulse response. The rhythmic patterns are reproduced by a single speaker located in the center of the room. Thus, as the listeners walk, they perceive interesting variations of the relationship between the direct sound and the echoes.
- Resonances on history: (This “state” is still work in progress in collaboration with an expert in acoustics from the university.) What was the original aural architecture of the tank when full of fuel? To address this question, a second drone and a variety of rhythmic patterns will be composed to interact with the impulse responses generated in COMSOL and simulating that the tank is full of fuel.
The installation is completed with a video displaying different graphic representations of the sound, like an oscilloscope, a phase display, etc. These projections, in turn, serve as general lighting. The project is still under development.