Eternal Darkness

Visitors can physically and sonically experience massive low-frequency excitations of the space. Deep drones are contrasted with occasional higher, pipe organ–like pitches that seem to have no visible physical source, ricocheting off the walls in seemingly endless echoes.

At times, these pitches coalesce into almost familiar musical harmonies—distant collective memories of themes—only to fracture and dissolve again.

The sonic experience of the installation is strongly dependent on the listener’s position; visitors are encouraged to move through the space and explore the spatial distribution of resonances in the near-total darkness of the cistern, making movement an integral part of the composition.

Eternal Darkness is based on physical modelling software written by the artist. The algorithm simulates the behaviour of a real organ pipe, including its resonances, turbulences, and the noise generated by air flowing through a virtual tube. Multiple such pipes perform fragments of musical material, forming an ever-changing, slow-moving counterpoint.

July 5 2012 - September 2 2013
Grosser Wasserspeicher Berlin Prenzlauer Berg

Curated by Singuhr Hoergalerie e.V.
Technical support by Dipl. Ing. Manfred Fox