Sound as, and beyond, sculpture :a creative investigation of physicality, space and movement through otoacoustic emissions

This research project has explored the relationship between sound and sculpture, looking particularly at how sound can become sculptural. A sound sculpture is defined in this project as a sound-only entity, which explicitly extends sound’s physical and spatial aspects to take on the role of a physical, visual sculpture. In this research, this is achieved by the use of otoacoustic emissions. There is a lack of music and sound art material that actively intends to utilise the creative potential of otoacoustic emissions.

This portfolio of works explores the bodily sensation of otoacoustic emissions and importantly, the agency the audience/listener has on changing their own perception and experience of the sound through their movement choices around an installation space. This novel application of otoacoustic emissions is what the author terms ‘otokinetic shaping’. This goes beyond that of the visual sculptural paradigm by introducing an element of audience participation and control. The pieces are created in a manner in which they are a collaboration between the artist and the audience, with the audience having more creative control than the artist on the work’s sound, structure and duration.

The works also examine creative themes such as minimalism and indeterminacy controlled by computer algorithms as a method of extending the already limited decisions made in the creative and compositional process by the artist.