In this session we explored the possibilities of using transducers speakers within sound art practice. Transducers are small speakers that vibrate objects instead of pushing sound directly into the air like traditional speakers. This means almost any object or surface can become a speaker itself. Boxes, can, tables, windows or even walls can shape the sound waves differently depending on the material.

What makes transducers interesting is that allow sound too physically exist inside objects, turning everyday materials into part of the listening experience. This can create a much more immersive and tactile relationship between sound a space. However, within sound art they can sometimes feel overused, especially when artists rely on the technological itself rather than thinking carefully about what the sound is actually doing conceptually.

Transducers

• We looked into the possibilities of these little transducer speakers that can transform any box or or objects to shape the sound waves fitting that box
• They are used a lot in sound art practice and can be seen to be a bit overused at times

What is installation?

We also looked at installation art and how sound functions within immersive spaces. Claire Bishop is an important thinker in this area. Bishop argues that installation differs from traditional art forms because it depends on the physical presence of the audience. The viewer is not simply observing the work from a distance but becomes part of the environment itself.

This idea becomes especially important in sound art because sound naturally surrounds the listener. Unlike painting photography, sound installations can shape the atmosphere of a space and influence how the body moves through it. The audience experience the work through movement and interaction.

Examples

Anne Hardy – The depth of darkness(2019)

• Hardy started with photography and moved on in recent years to immersive media. Then started to work with sound and especially how sound can shape a certain environment
• She’s not interested in objects that already hold their value, she prefers to collect lost or unused objects for her art. Things like broken cans or old tape recorders
• I like that she works with unused object in her work, it makes the work itself relatable to see objects we walk past everyday

James Webb – Prayer (2000)

• From South Africa Cape Town
• its a gathering of recordings of prayers in the location of Sweden
• Its touching and evocative of the human experience, the movement of getting into prayer on the floor invites people to use their body and participate in the art itself
• This exhibition is a great example of a great idea that could have been greater if they thought about using different speakers in different spaces

This make me think more carefully about speaker placement within my own practice and how the way sound is physically distributed through a space can completely change how an audience experiences the work.