Electromagnetic Interrogations. Three dismantled but operative compact disc players whirr and hum to themselves as they autonomously cycle through their functions. The only sound that is audible is the internal electromagnetic noise generated by their inner workings. Presented as plinth mounted reliefs, the machines expose their inner architecture and technological form as they seem to be dreaming the days when they were new and ‘cutting edge’. Swinging pendulum pickup microphones sweep through the electromagnetic dreams of these machines turning the noises into an emergent compositional structure using a technique reminiscent of Steve Reich’s Pendulum Music (1968).
The piece was selected for the 10th anniversary Kinetica show in London in 2017.
Jon Pigott 