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Sound Art

Hear 435 Cardboard Boxes Create a Minimalist Sound Symphony

Zimoun examines the relationship between kinetic art and sound in '435 prepared dc-motors, 2030 cardboard boxes 35x35x35cm.'

Exploring the complexity of sound and movement created by simple elements, Swiss artist Zimoun creates organic orchestras of rustling noises. Previously, he made sound sculptures using medical equipment and cardboard drums. This time around, at the Godsbanen in Aarhus, Denmark, he presents one of the largest installations he's ever realized: 435 prepared dc-motors, 2030 cardboard boxes 35x35x35cm.

In this work, Zimoun builds an architectural mechanism out of cardboard, wires, and DC motors. His industrial materials move, producing sound on location in real time. The wall boxes hang from the ceiling, amalgamating a sound that evokes the hypnotic soundscapes of Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi.

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The sound is created by the soft collision of cardboard boxes. "[The] sound properties of boxes relates to many factors, like the size, the thickness and type of cardboard, the way they get activated through the mechanical system, etc. Once you jump into these details you find an endless universe there, and at the end it is not only the boxes producing the hearable sounds, but also the space itself," Zimoun tells Creators. "Each space has its own sound properties related to the sizes of the space, the architectonic structure, the materialization… and in that sense, the 'finish' of the sound is made by the space itself."

The spatial sound installation was created with the help of 70 volunteers435 prepared dc-motors, 2030 cardboard boxes 35x35x35cm is on view at the Godsbanen in Aarhus, Denmark from March 1, 2017 until April 1, 2017.

Check out the video below:

Click here to see more work from Zimoun.

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