Black Cube
"The Destructive Character is cheerful and friendly, and his only motto is: 'Make room.'" -- Walter Benjamin
'Black Cube' is a hollow steel sound sculpture that emanates the primal screams of its own steel de-/construction process, transformed into a series of low-frequency drone compositions. Each composition utilizes and expands upon the main resonant frequencies the scuplture's internal dimensions and steel material. Using one powerful transducer, its sound appears to radiate through the material itself equally in all directions, allowing it to mimic a monopole sound source. Based on research involving the phenomenon of bone conduction, which transmits audio vibrations to the inner ear, 'Black Cube' welcomes both the hearing and the 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 Cube stands and hums in an elegant and non-threatening stance, magnetically drawing its audience towards it, reminiscent of an alien obelisk. When interpreted as a distorted echo chamber of its own experiences and memories, this intimate contact may symbolize a bridge between two worlds - of the superficially strange and an empathetic listener - in one simple gesture.
