babel
Upright Acoustic Piano, Manual Typewriter, Electromagnetic Solenoids, Wires, Performance
2008-2010

babel is an electromechanical sound sculpture that translates language directly into sound. The keys of a manual typewriter are wired to a series of electromagnetic solenoids that strike corresponding keys on an acoustic piano. Babel is an instrument for text-based sound performances that examine the possibility of universal communication, the barriers of language, and the encryption of meaning.

Video documentation by Noah Stout