Sounding
Bodies:
Experiments
in
Sonically
Active
Surfaces is
a
new
publication
by
Jonathan
Tyrrell
from
the
Living
Architecture
Systems Group
Folio
Series,
published
by
Riverside
Architectural
Press.
This
research
folio
documents
the
technical
and
poetic
development
of
an
experimental
architectural
installation
that
points
toward
a
new model
of
sonic
materialism.
‘Sounding
Bodies’,
originally
installed
at
Nuit
Blanche
Toronto
2019,
used
audio
transducers
to
transform galvanized
steel
roofing
material
into
inhabitable
loudspeakers.
Rather
than
considering
sonic
emitters
as
point
sources
whose
physical nature
is
often
conceptually
absent
from
their
environments,
this
work
embraces
the
material
and
spatial
possibilities
latent
in
active
sound generation.
The
original
installation
involved
contributions
from
UWSA
students
James
Kwon,
Nick
Lupescu,
Ali
Salama, Max
Schramp,
Isabella
Suppa,
Meghan
Won,
and
alumnus Duncan
Patterson.
The
folio
begins
with
a
discussion
of
ancient
Roman
architect
Vitruvius’
use
of
bronze
sounding
vessels
in
theatre
design.
It
then
presents
a technical
explanation
of
the
transducers
used
in
the
'Sounding
Bodies'
installation,
followed
by
an
account
of
experiments
undertaken
in
its development
and
documentation
of
the
built
project.
A
concluding
section
discusses
how
the
poetic
content
of
the
project,
which
builds
on pioneering
work
by
Glenn
Gould
and
The
World
Soundscape
Project,
connects
back
to
the
cultural
origins
of
sound
reproduction
and
offers
a reflection
on
how
sonically
active
surfaces
might
contribute
to
next-generation
living
architecture.
Friday, July 16, 2021