(Photo: Interference Festival / Mario Gutierrez / Insonora)

SONIC WEAPONS
by Escoitar.org

Hosted in Arquive.org (you can download it!)

The creation of the technical instruments which stand with sounds in connection the development of special hearing technologies and the models of ingenious acoustic strategies, have accepted an important society-political dimension. The following examples illustrate, where sound is used as controlling means: the space which the sound of a bell fills; the multiple application of sirens in the military, as well as in the industrial sphere; the reach of the radio; the investigation of an efficient equipment of sound weapons.

The development of acoustic predirections / body with high frequency (e.g., LRAD, Long to rank Acoustic Device, is a sort of noise cannon. Originally LRAD was developed for the US military. Their straight directed noise ray reaches a good 300 metres. The shrill tone creates up to 150 decibels in the neighborhood and with it more than a starting jet. A result is violent earache and orientation loss. – No ear stoppers will help.
- the instrument “Mosquito”, an ultrasound-sturgeon noise transmitter developed in 2005 in Great Britain whose aim is by means of sound waves in high frequency responses to expel teenagers, who are “hanging around” – a sound wave which can only be heard by people under 25 due to its frequency.

Sound plays an important role in the development of systems of social control: Either in the form of physical energy, as a mechanism for the exercise of compulsion or on account of implied arrangement.

The physical dimension of sound, its potential, a spring of physical nicety, its invisibility, its immateriality, its power, to generate emotions, to have an effect on our bodies without flowing through the barriers of the reason and without leaving tracks…: All these called aspects became especially important in the context of a controlling society in which the different discourses about power need technologies to demonstrate rule or even to attack or to defend themselves. In it there lies the meaning of the sound weapons.

The sound installation introduced here by the artist’s group Escoitar.org, a radiophonic short history which is to be arranged somewhere between documentation and radio-art piece is based on a Remix of audio- visual to documents. These were put together in the course of a long and intensive search about special use, development and technological conversions by sound. The work introduces a conceptual approach to this subject as well as a revealing sound experience. It is moved by means of an analysis of the effect and effects of these technologies, her use and her abuse.

Digitally processed tones from interviews, admissions of sound weapons, fragments of work of different artists and admissions of acoustic signals and controlling devices (bells, sirens etc.) are produced by Escoitar.org and are mixed in the work “Sonic Weapons” and are interweaved into each other. This radiophonic work pursues a double aim: On the one hand it wants to draw the attention of the listener to a problem, the sound and hearing concerns received as a controlling signal, on the other hand, a passionate sound gesture create to protect a remaining sound and to exert itself for his freedom.

ATTENTION: Please, note that in this installation occasionally emits tones with very high frequencies. Please be aware particularly if you have sensitive hearing.

CREDITS

TITLE: “Sonic Weapons”
DIRECTION: Escoitar.org
PRODUKTION: Juan-Gil López, Chiu Longina
COMISIONED BY: Radio Nacional de España (Radio2) und der Ars Acustica International (European Broadcasting Union EBU). This sound work represented Spain at the Art’s Birthday 2009 / Diese Klanginstallation representierte “ Spain at the Art’s Birthday” 2009 (Safe&Sound Edition).
TEXT: Escoitar.org, Sylvia von Bukow
SOFTWARE: Pure Data
DURATION: 00:20:00
REALIZATION: 2009
FORMAT: Audio
LICENSE: CC

EXCERPTS/ AUSZÜGE | SAMPLERS/ SAMPLER | RECORDINGS / AUFNAHMEN | AUDIO-QUOTES/ AUDIO-BEITRÄGE:
“White Noise. House of Fun” (unruidosecreto.net); “IZAR’s Siren” (Factorías Juliana S.A.U., Gijón 2008, recorded by Escoitar.org); “The War of the Worlds” (Radio Theatre, Orson Welles. Audio-quote-), “Technocalyps” (documentary directed by Frank Theys. Audio-cita-); “Music for Airports” (Brian Eno. Audio-quote); “Musique d’ameublement” (Eric Satie. Audio-quote); “The Tailanders” (documentary directed by Adele Horne. Audio-quote); “Touch of a bell announcing female death” (recorded by Escoitar.org in Insua, Pontevedra. Spain 2008); “Acoustic signals from the mine of Camocha” (recorded by Escoitar.org in Gijón. 2008); “Radio NPR: For a Non-Lethal Weapon, Israel Uses Sound” (Audio-quote); “Interview with Joseph about the fall of bombs in the Spanish Civil War” (recorded by Escoitar.org in Gijón. 2008); “BBC Radio News about ultrasound under 25” (Audio-quote. BBC Radio); “Standard Operating procedure” (documentary directed by Errol Morris. Audio-quote); “Brain synch waves” (brain waves synchronized and generated by software).