2020–2023
Experimental devices
Various dimensions
Experimental devices
Various dimensions
Chaotic arrangement(s) is a series of apparatus designed to translate heat behavior within a fluid into a choir of voices. Each setup involves a tank containing a liquid exposed to a thermal energy source, with immersed thermometers relaying real-time data to a custom program. This program translates the data into MIDI signals, which are then synthesized into human voices. These voices, orchestrated by the unpredictable nature of heat, embody the invisible chaos in an ever-changing and potentially endless chant, echoing elements of both Christian liturgy and Buddhist meditation.
Each apparatus allows for an almost infinite array of component arrangements, potentially generating as many choir dynamics. The program’s translation of data, the fluid’s composition, machine orientation, and the thermal and acoustic environment all contribute to shaping the resulting sound. The collective interplay of these parameters constitutes the material arrangement referenced in the work’s title. Every installation therefore serves as a platform for novel experiments and explorations, akin to a live performance or an ongoing laboratory.
As documented here above, "Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices (II) was installed at the Chandoline hydroelectric power station in Sion (CH) as part of the Biennal Son 2023. Probably intended to house machines and gears, the room that housed the work resembled a small industrial pantheon, with a semi-circular floor plan and a central opening in the ceiling for ventilation. There, Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices (II) fitted into the architecture and history of the power station like a machine that is working again. The sound that propagated through the space formed a link between presence and absence, reactivating a distant space that evoked the rituality of work and recalled an ancient dichotomy between man and machine." – text by Francesca Ceccherini
The work was proposed by OTO Sound Museum on invitation of the curatorial team of the Biennal Son.
The first version of the apparatus, Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices (I) was previously installed at the Collégiale of Neuchâtel, cultural jewel of the city and an active site of the protestant cult. The apparatus itself was placed at the center of the cloister, while the sound resonated inside the church for a period of three weeks. This intervention could not be possible without a tight collaboration with the pastor of the Collégiale who accompanied and supported the work. His willingness to exchange on both practical and conceptual grounds culminated in a public discussion where Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices (I) became a pretext for thinking of intersections between art, theology and sciences.
A unique performance also took place when the organist Jean-Luc Thellin performed a 30-minutes live and improvised accompaniment to the chorus of voices produced by the apparatus.
The project was curated by Francesca Ceccherini.
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Collégiale de Neuchâtel (CH), 2023
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Collégiale de Neuchâtel (CH), 2023
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Collégiale de Neuchâtel (CH), 2023
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices (I) was also installed at the Wasserkirche in Zürich, another protestant church, although not anymore an active place of cult. In addition, it was shown at Cercle Cité in Luxemburg, at la rada in Locarno, at OTO Sound Museum and at Löwenbraukunst in Zürich.
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Wasserkirche, Zürich (CH), 2022
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Wasserkirche, Zürich (CH), 2022
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, OTO Sound Museum, la rada, Locarno, 2021
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, OTO Sound Museum, la rada, Locarno, 2021
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, OTO Sound Museum, la rada, Locarno, 2021
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg, 2023
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg, 2023
Chaotic arrangement for 66 voices I / Installation view, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg, 2023
