Artwork
「Untitled (C.F.B.O.23)」 2023 sound installation, wireless speakers, audio file players, composition [20:00]
「Untitled (F.I.A.S.O.23)」 2023 ikebana, fragrance
Concept
「Untitled (C.F.B.O.23)」
The first realisation is located in front of the very entrance to the building. It is an audio composition composed specifically for this location. The composition is meant to be an inviting element, not especially drawing attention to itself; it is a so-called muzak, or background sound, often used in lobbies, lobbies, lifts; background music, which is supposed to put us in a positive and affirmative mood. In my realisation, the functionality of the composition itself is to be preserved, however, the ‘tuning’ of the instruments for its performance will be based on a shift from 440 Hz to 432 Hz, referring to conspiracy theories as well as music theory, where different instruments (or even different strings) should be tuned to different sounds. In order for different instruments (or even different strings of one instrument) to sound good together, they must all produce the same tone (the same pitch) when playing the same musical note (e.g. A). The usual way of specifying tuning is to specify the frequency of an A4 note. The modern standard is A = 440 Hz, where Hz is the unit meaning ‘per second’, so ‘440 Hz’ refers to 440 vibrations per second (such as in a string). The mathematical theory behind 432 Hz and its endorsement by famous musicians cannot be dismissed, nor can the fact that the Earth is tuned to this frequency. However, the internet (is the case with so many things) has given this science a mystical air, sparking a number of conspiracy theories. Given that great musicians and ancient societies preferred 432 Hz, the US and UK ignored this tradition and opted for 440 Hz. Most theories centre around the belief that the 440 Hz frequency has been deliberately adopted by governments and/or regimes as a way to manipulate and control the masses, making them lethargic, often borderline depressed, and therefore easily influenced. Perhaps the most popular conspiracy theory is that surrounding Nazi Germany’s regime. It is suggested that the Nazis decided to adopt 440 Hz as the standard, avoiding 432 Hz at all costs; thus developing other influential frequencies alongside it to help control people’s minds. Joseph Goebbels, the Third Reich’s propaganda premier, was allegedly in charge of this mission. He apparently used music containing concentrated 440 Hz and other frequencies to create fear and hostility in the masses. People listening to this music were essentially prisoners of their own aggressive consciousness. While this is certainly an interesting theory, there is no evidence to support this claim. Despite this, it is still not surprising that when listening to the same music tuned to two different frequencies (432 Hz and 440 Hz), most people claim to feel relaxed after listening to the 432 Hz version.
Moreover, 432 Hz resonates with 8 Hz (Schumann resonance), the documented fundamental electromagnetic ‘bump’ of the Earth. We can also find more mystical arguments, such as that there are 432 Buddha statues on Mount Meru, or that it is somehow related to the location of the chakras. There is even a claim that scientists at Nike have discovered that the best golf balls have 432 dimples…Research says that music tuned from this frequency is easier to listen to, brighter, clearer and contains more inherent dynamic range. As a result, music with this tuning does not need to be played at a higher volume, reducing the risk of hearing damage.
「Untitled (F.I.A.S.O.23)」
The second proposal is closely complementary to work no. 1. It is a visual and olfactory sensory quotation of the design elements of commercial and office spaces —i.e. a visual and sensory quotation from decorative elements of commercial and office spaces — a bouquet of eye-catching flowers arranged strictly according to the art of ikebana, but here, too, we find a shift in meaning: the flowers here contradict the symbol they represent immortal, and the accompanying olfactory associations do not refer to an attempt to tautologically convey the impression of the scent of real flowers; instead, they illustrate a mood of anxiety, lack of comfort and tension.
「Untitled (I.C.O.23)」
The third and final realisation is a photograph placed on an unusual place for a photographic display: the ceiling of a lift. Printed on translucent material placed on the lift’s light source, forming a lightbox. The photograph depicts a classic, standard and universal cloud image, taken using a specific analogue photographic method of capture: panchromatic negative sensitised to red light. The references for this choice of photographic material have a strong connection to the symbolism of the colour red, and—thus—the current political situation in Europe as well as worldwide.
Profile
Born in 1985, lives and works in Poznan, Poland. He is an audio-visual artist. A Phd in fine arts. He graduated the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland where he is now the head of Audiosfera Studio in the department of Media Art (Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznan). He mixes and works in various media such as installation, sound, architecture, photography and sculpture. His main interests in art focus on the issues of contemporary narratives, forms and languages of interpersonal communication as well as audio, visual, semantic and economic forms of communication. His works were exhibited in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, among others: Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland, National Museum in Poznan, Poland, Italy, Germany, China, Japan in Kyoto and Tatsuno, Hyogo.
Exhibition
Venue