Exploded sounds: spatialised partials in two recent multi-channel installations

Abstract

I discuss two recent sound installations that both explore a spectral sound diffusion technique based on partial tracking that allows individual partials of a sampled sound to occupy individual locations in space. The two installations, The Exploded Sound (60 channels) and Significant Birds (12 channels), use similar techniques and modes of presentation to different ends. The former creates an essentially static listening environment, in which the listeners’ movements in space allow them to explore the inner structure of sound, while the latter focuses on the aural illusion that results from this approach, presenting decomposed speech as electronic “birdsong”, which is reconstructed by the brain into intelligible words. I will discuss technical aspects of the approach alongside the aesthetic aims, describing the research process and some conclusions that have been drawn from experiencing the works in situ. The discussion locates the work within my wider research on navigable sonic structures.