Ohrwurmbeschleuniger
"Ohrwurmbeschleuniger" (2004) is a work by Roman Kirschner. It was shown in the DEAF04 exhibition.
Ohrwurmbeschleuniger
Earwigs are small insects which are said to crawl into people's ears and to be impossible to get out. In German, the word for "earwig," "Ohrwurm," is also a term for a melody that sticks in the mind all day. Ohrwurmbeschleuniger allows one to create such a tune oneself. The installation functions as a musical particle accelerator, in which two melodies are mixed at the level of their elementary components into a new tune, a new "earwig" that will stick in one's head.
The machine is operated as a microwave oven is, but instead of food being placed into it, musical micro-particles are accelerated in a tube. First, using the special earwig pipette, one listens to the available melodies and selects two. One then chooses a cooking program, with which the melodies' digital ingredients are accelerated in the tube. The choice of program determines the speed at which the tube spins and the intensity of the microwaves sent through it. In "thaw" position, the oven creates a relatively weak microwave field, and a different tune will arise than would have at full power.
