Lenses

Sound installation

Duration 15-55min

Lenses uses a range of wine glasses as "lenses" to amplify sound from small loudspeakers.


A group of between 12 and 24 glasses are organised in descending order according to their pitch. Each glass is sounded by rubbing a moist finger around the rim for around 20 seconds, and recorded with a stereo microphone positioned just above the bowl of the glass.


A soundtrack is compiled from the individual recordings, following a "change ringing" technique devised by English church bell-ringers. The glasses are arranged a pattern across a wall. Small speakers hang over the rims, outside the bowls of the glasses. Every speaker plays the same soundtrack, but each glass resonates most noticeably in response to its own sound.

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Lenses

Sound installation

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Audio