Speakers and Signers is a dialog (in speech and sign) between artists, designers, scientists, and students. Participants touch on the range of human experience including deafness, acoustical engineering, resonance and sonic vibrations. All presentations are interpreted in American Sign Language.
At the center of the conference is a specially built raised floor that is activated by low-frequency vibration. By sitting, standing, and lying on the floor, hearing and deaf participants are able to experience sound through their bodies. During the conference, presenters use the floor as a vehicle for tactile communication.
Waves and Signs, Center for Advanced Visual Studies, MIT, Cambridge, April, 2009.
Wood, rubber, electromechanical transducers, electronics, 7” x 12’ x 12’
Silent Mixer, Cabinet Space, Brooklyn, New York, 2010
An evening in two parts, with George Prochnik
A raised floor is activated with low-frequency vibrations. By sitting, standing, or lying on the floor, participants are able to "hear" sound through their bodies. In an evening devoted to silence, the floor is used as a platform for a series of sub- and barely-audible performances. Observing the rule for silence, guests communicate in writing on yellow index cards.
The event celebrates the publication of George Prochnik's book, In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise, and features performances by:
--Jack Murphy presenting Happy Cat Orchestra, an arrangement of feline sounds.
--Timothy Hill performing excerpts from Body of Sound for solo voice, harmonic singing.
--Eric Gunther performing Growl, electronic vocal improvisation for bodies, not ears.
--Christopher Ariza performing pulsefact #2 (2010), polyphonic improvisation with live electronics sound.
