8 channel / 16 speaker installation for high frequency sine waves.
Sine Field is an eight-channel sound installation for eight computer-generated
oscillators creating sine waves in a frequency range of 10,000 to 18,000
hz. Each channel of sound will carry a frequency starting at 10,000 hz
and incrementing with 1,000 hz per channel up to the maximum limit of
18,000 hz. Depending on the size of the space eight to sixteen speakers
will be used. A computer application designed especially for this installation
will cause the placement of the eight audio channels in the space to gradually
shift, each frequency range thus moving from speaker to speaker.
The psycho acoustic properties of high frequency sine waves are such that
any slight movement of the listener’s head will produce a radical
change in the perception of the sound. The idea behind the installation
Sine Field is to activate a space with sound bordering on the physical
limits of perception. On entering the installation space the listener
will perceive a constantly shifting net of finely oscillating frequencies–a
part of the oscillations resulting from the shifting in-and-out of phase
between the different sine waves; another part resulting from the listener’s
movement in the space and the gradual shift of sine waves from speaker
to speaker. The nature of the high frequency sine waves and the shifting
speaker diffusion will result in a subtle yet unmistakeable manipulation
of the listener’s spatial orientation.
Sine Field addresses the questions: where does the perception of sound
begin and how much of this perception occurs on a strictly physical as
opposed to a psycho acoustic level; and how is our spatial orientation
determined in a field of sound where the acoustic reference points are
always changing?
Sine Field is not only intended as an experiment confronting the limits
of sound perception but also a beautiful sound piece: the space will be
filled with the gentle beating of sine waves as they phase in and out
of eachother and immerse the listener in a continually shifting field
of sound.
