Shallow Water

Rudy Decelière (CH/FR, 1979, based in Geneva) is interested in imperceptible sound phenomena, which he showcases in visual and sound installations. He makes electric and electromagnetic fields audible and explores the thresholds of what is perceptible. His work draws on nature and the intensity of the silence of the mountains, in all its invisibility, mystique, sublimity, disquiet and magic.

Shallow Water is made up of hundreds of dried beech leaves arranged in an orthonormal pattern on a circular wooden surface (~25 mm thick by 2 m in diameter). Each leaf is placed on a pin that raises it slightly. A miniature electromagnetic system, comprising a magnet and a small coil of copper wire, is integrated into each element. The work explores individual micro-impulses. Each entity produces a very short impulse, of its own random duration and intensity. This action is akin to a drop of water falling on the sheet, producing a percussive sound that can be heard in a variety of ways. The totality of the individual sound points generates an overall sound, giving the installation a “microsonic” character. Shallow Water invites visitors to feel the distance and proximity and the richness and amplitude of the space generated, and to experience listening to virtual silence. In this highly sensitive new work, Decelière uses one element—the dried beech leaf—as a possible metaphor for the organisation of life in different species, including the human species.