Soundsculpture

Sandor Ajzenstat

May 2004

An exhibition of five sound sculptures by Sandor Ajzenstat, covering a twenty year time period, but all sharing a specific concern with the mechanics of movement and its complementary sound.

Ajzenstat talks of his interest in phasing: the notion of two entities being in- and out-of-phase with each other. The occasional in-phase acts as a point of reference for its corresponding antipathy.

His latest work consists of light pulses traveling around a complex path (reminiscent of a Celtic knot design) that emit sound at specific junctures in their journey. A control panel with three dials alters the frequency and speed and affects the accompanying sounds. The result is a randomness in the quality of sound, tantalizing the ear in search for rhythm and harmony. We are encouraged to manipulate the dials, offering a degree of control as we experiment and play the machine, exploring possibilities and maybe paralleling our own in- and out-of-phase random neuron firings.

The work is endlessly compelling, offering insight into the spirit of the machine. The techniques by which Ajzenstat assembles them is deeply insightful and prophetic.

As one meditates on the mechanics of sound we may discover the harsh eloquence of randomness and the complexity of the metaphor for our own synchronization to life and society.