Amsterdam Biennale / Nicosia Pavilion

Amsterdam Biennale / Nicosia Pavilion
12 December 2009 - 3 January 2010
Mediamatic Bank, Vijzelstraat 68, Amsterdam [map]



APOTHEKE is taking part at the Amsterdam Biennale 2009 with a specially commissioned sound-work by Antonis Antoniou, titled Fountanes, alongside new works by Alana Kakoyiannis, Achilleas Kentonis and Maria Papacharalambous, all reflecting on the issue of water vis-a-vis Nicosia, after a text by Demetris Taliotis.




Fountanes, which means ‘water taps’ is an interactive sound installation that explores the sonic possibilities created by the manipulation and transformation of a single audio sample. Four different taps, attached horizontally onto a water tank, are the main interface between the system and the audience. By opening or closing the 4 taps, the audience directly manages the pre-programmed operations that modify the sound in specific ways, creating varying textures, timbres and rhythmic patterns. The input of the audience is an absolutely vital element for the project, since the participants actually act both as the composers and as the performers. The final outcome is therefore never the same, since it is highly dependant on the performing/compositional decisions of the participants. The audio sample is relevant to the construction; it is a recording of flowing water through the pipes underneath a sink, superimposed with a recording of a dry tap. The dry-tap recording is a usual auditory phenomenon in Cyprus (especially during the summer season), since, due to long periods of drought, water cuts are employed as a water-saving measure. The two superimposed recordings, apart from their contrast on a conceptual level, also create a sense of continuity (flowing water) with interesting rhythms (abrupt percussive sounds coming out of the dry tap).

The whole operation is controlled by a system designed on the Max/Msp software. There are 4 LEDs (light-emitting diode) attached to the very edge of each of the 4 taps. There are also 4 LDR sensors (light dependent resistor) attached to the inside of each tap. When the participant opens a tap, a proportional amount of light to passes through it and this consequently affects the voltage of the light resistor, which in turn passes this altered information to the Arduino. The Arduino is the interface between the outside world and the Max/Msp patch, where all programmed functions are found. In other words, it translates the voltage given by the LDR to data communicable to the computer. From there, the Max/Msp patch alters the audio signal in different programmed ways.

The audio output reaches the ears of the audience through 2 transducers attached to the inside surface of the tank. In this way, the signal is filtered through this object (tank) merging with its distinctive metal quality. Through this procedure, cohesion is reached between the digital world and the tangible construction.