De Krachtgever
'De Krachtgever' (1994) is an interactive installation by Simons & Bosch.
De Krachtgever (overview)
A few decades ago, Walter Jenny said that oscillations in the cells determine the shape and texture of certain characteristics of man, animal and inorganic materials like wood or stone. Architect Albers appended this by saying in VPRO's television program 'Zomergasten' that sound waves cause incredibly dense patterns in different materials and that oscillations as such can be used in architecture. The use and visualization of these oscillations is a nearly unexplored area.
Peter Bosch and Simone Simons did not start from this point of view although it sheds a completely different light on the pieces they contributed to DEAF. 'De Krachtgever' is a project that was realized in cooperation with the TU Twenthe, as part of the TART program. During DEAF, we will see a new version of this piece that is based on sound oscillations - more specifically sound interferences - and the different patterns computer controlled oscillations can cause. 32 Wooden and steel boxes are stacked regularly. The boxes are connected through springs. Each stack of boxes is driven by one or more eccentric electrical motors. The motor speeds are computer controlled and varied in such a way that interesting interferences between the fixed oscillation frequencies and the resonance frequency of a stack evolve.
It is possible to oscillate separate boxes, whole stacks or induce combinations of oscillations at different levels of a stack. A natural phenomenon is exploited and controlled by the computer. A wall of boxes will be used to create an exciting and dense composition. The more boxes are used, the more complex and varied the sound scala will be.
The sound is pure, unamplified and rich in detail, as is the norm in the oeuvre of Peter Bosch and Simone Simons (i.e. 'Het Elektrisch Zwaaiorkest' and 'De Traject Versterker'). The sound can best be described as sound stacks that vary in force, timbre and rhythm from subtle to very powerful, from regular to chaotic.
