Tympanic Alley (2015)

A sound installation of variable dimensions. Many small loudspeakers, hung in a tilted plane from the ceiling in a grid-pattern, produce taps and clicks in a rhythmic, quasi-chaotic manner. The sounds are created by the periodic interruption of the signal flowing through the circuit by a small stirrup of silver wire propelled by the sound. The sounds heard include the tapping of the stirrup on a small aluminum tart pan or tympanum, the clicks produced by the breaking of the current through the loudspeaker, the reflections of these sounds from the walls of the surrounding space, and otoacoustic emissions in the ears of the listener. A row of red plumbobs hung in a diagonal intersect serves to remind the listeners of the presence of gravity.