Ani Samperi
Black Cube
Installation
raw steel, transducers, ultra-matte black paint
‘Black Cube’ is a monopol sound source comprised of raw steel that emanates the primal screams of its own manufacturing process, digested and regurgitated by spatial and digital reverb chambers and processed into a series of low-frequency drone compositions. Each composition utilizes and expands upon the resonant frequencies of the material and dimensions of the object itself. Through the use of bone conduction transmitting audio vibrations to the inner ear, Black Cube welcomes both the hearing and hearing-impaired to engage in direct physical contact with it, whereby the broader frequency spectrum of its vibration may be experienced in full tactile saturation. Despite its eerie and otherworldly presence, the object stands and hums in an elegant and non-threatening manner, drawing its audience closely towards it much like the monolith in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. When interpreted as a distorted echo chamber of its own experiences and memories, this contact may symbolize a bridge between two disparate worlds, of the superficially strange and an empathetic listener, in a simple active embrace.