Salômé Guillemin
50 Hertz, Le chant du spectre
2019, installation and performance
Experimental music, ceramics, water, electricity.
The ceramics were made at CERCCO, Geneva. 50 Hertz was developed at Fondation l’Abri.
50 Hertz is a drone music performance built around a set of neon tubes and ceramics, amplified with effects. The fully analogue setup draws on the 50Hz hum of household electrical current: the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the neon lights is captured by the ceramics, generating signal interference and resulting in audible modulations. The conductive and insulating properties of the clays and glazes used produce a raw sonic material, shaped through a repertoire of gestures and points of contact with the ceramic objects. Each artefact carries its own vocabulary of movement and sound, allowing for multiple, distinct sonic pieces.
The performance and its system are firmly grounded in the tradition of drone music – a genre built on continuous sound layers that create a sensory experience conducive to introspection. Through sustained tones and evolving textures, the composition reveals harmonics, interferences and beating patterns between frequencies. These elements invite reflection on the depth of listening, the physical perception of sound, and sound itself in its raw, unadorned state and sheer presence.
