EAR PRESSURE

Geoff Stern Art Space, Berlin, DE
Octophonic Sound Installation

Doron Sadja’s sound installation “Ear Pressure” is a psychoacoustic investigation into the spatialization of audio. It utilizes the gallery’s multichannel-setup in an unusual way: whereas traditional spatialization relies on panning (changes in volume) to move sound from one speaker to another, in “Ear Pressure” nearly all sounds come out of all 8 speakers at the same volume. Yet still, sounds twist and turn around the room as identical (or nearly identical) sounds collide and disrupt each other. A sound is a physical vibration that pushes and pulls air molecules as it expands through space. Like waves in an ocean, sounds collide, and as they do they modulate one another – interfering, cancelling, enhancing, and even transforming each other into something completely new. These pockets of interference are the focal point of “Ear Pressure” and the end product is a sonic choreography that invites the listener to interact with it. Try moving your head around. Feel the sounds warp and change. You may experience your sense of space distorted and you might even feel a little dizzy.

Photo: Henri Falk