electrochemical improvisation:
experiments with electronics, sound, and crystallization
Matter and energy are changing states continually, extending through multiple dimensions that we are just discovering how to perceive. By mixing solid-state electronics with fluid open systems we can explore emergent sonic phenomena, amplifying our experience of the everyday. This workshop gives a brief introduction to basic electrochemistry and crystallization, followed by experimentation with tactile electronics and improvised sound.
We construct simple oscillator circuits on breadboards and use them to sonify a crystal solution with temperature and electrolysis probes. Open wire contacts allow for the body to enter the circuit, creating bio-physical feedback and altering the sound. The signal transforms the molecular structure of the solution through the process of electrolysis, creating bubbles as the electrified copper wires split oxygen and hydrogen atoms off of molecules. Copper ions are also sent into the solution, eventually turning it blue. A single LED lights the process and strobes with the sound.
Sound improvisation techniques are introduced, and after some time experimenting, I lead the participants in a group improvisation. The solutions can be taken home and will continue to crystallize, with the experience of their sounds embedded within.
2014
Eastern Bloc, Montréal, Québec
Bauhaus University, Faculty of Media Arts, Weimar, Germany
PIKSEL14 festival, Bergen Kjøtt, Bergen, Norway
CIPke, RAMPA Lab, Ljubljana, Slovenia
PIKSEL14 documentation, with audio recorded during my workshop