Untitled Sound Objects
Pe Lang + Zimoun

untitled-sound-objects.ch

Installations 2005-2006 (selection)
Video Documentation, Version December 2006.


in 2004, pe lang and zimoun began their collaboration «untitled sound objects», a project in which physical materials are made to generate sound by vibrating them using computer controlled machines and robots. the artists focus on creating acoustic architecture with an organic feel, investigating the properties of sound, materials, resonance and generative systems. the work is presented as sound installations and as live performances.

these works are created by using small machines comprised of computer-monitored and programmed electromagnetic lifts, electromagnets and vibrating motors, in combination with different kinds of materials. often the installations are used as a source for creating sounds as well as to continually evolve new acoustic spaces.

«we are interested in a selective mix between, on the one hand, living structures that are continuously generated or evolving by chance and chain reactions, and, on the other, a specifically delimited and contained space in which these events are allowed to happen. our compositional intentions are manifested through deliberate containment and cautious monitoring. thus, we are not preoccupying ourselves with chance factors and generative systems simply to discover unexpected results, but rather so that the compositions can attain a higher level of vitality.»

even though this work is technically complex and intricate (involving custom interfaces and software programming), the artists never seek to create a merely technical spectacle. «our intent is to create simplicity and immediacy in our work, which may be appreciated without understanding the technical background. we believe that technology is merely a tool for converting and realizing our ideas, rather than being the basis for them.»

pe lang and zimoun create works through reduction and simplicity to attain a minimalist aesthetic. this aesthetic reaches the public in a direct and immediate way so as to stimulate visitors into making their own discoveries through the works.

as the individual spaces and their material constituents often form the basis for the works, most of the installations are specifically adapted for each room with regards to the architecture, function, sound design and use of acoustic materials.

«the untitled sound objects by pe lang and zimoun convince through their elegant and clever simplicity in an inconspicuously complex setting.» stephen braun

contact and website:
untitled-sound-objects.ch