clock of fifths

soundinstallation + app
(the O. theorem no. 15 + 16)

soundinstallation for 12 loudspeakers, microphone and projection clock (2014)
app for mobile devices (2015)

the transposition of the circle of fifths as a theoretical "concept-space" into a real space of sonic experience is the installations core idea.
in standard western 12-tone equal temperament, the circle of fifths displays the tonal relations of music on the circular shape of a clockface.
clock of fifths converts this concept space and the underlying analogy to a clock into an experiential space:
first, ambient sound, captured via a microphone, is digitally split into the twelve pitchclasses across five octaves.
second, only those pitches aligned with the position of the three clock hands (hours, minutes and seconds) are made audible.
as the filtered sound is travelling thru the circle following the hands on the clockface, the passing of time is converted into constantly changing harmonic constellations.

the installation version projects the sound into a circle of 12 loudspeakers, one for each pitchclass, arranged around the face of a projection clock.
the individual loudspeakers are switched algorithmically, following the clockhands for the hours, the minutes and the seconds.
a microphone installed on the outside captures the environmental sound feeding the filtering algorithm.

clock of fifths @ műcsarnok | hall of art, budapest, oct 17- nov 23, 2014,
as part of the soundart exhibition On the Edge of Perceptibility | photos© imre nagy kővágó


documentary recording on site (excerpt)
the outside microphone was installed on dózsa györgy útca.
eventually, the filtering algorithm picked up an ambulance passing by.


interview and documentation from the exhibition

the app version uses the mobile devices built-in microphone and headphones.
the clock and its hands are shown on screen and the pitchclasses are positioned in the stereofield.
it allows mixing between the original and the filtered sound as well as recording.
the app was made with Pure Data and MobMuPlat, two open source projects. it is therefore not commercially available.