Workshop Berlin: Sound works

Fly Paper / Grill Cantor / Kikkit / Metal Containers / Playback / Riffelschiene / Silent Neighbours / Tongue Squash

 

Riffelschiene

Six times a day, a Talgo train is being shunted along the full length of the Wriezener Freiraum, transforming the green space into a large funnel, washing away all background sounds, blocking the view on the post-industrial architecture of the surroundings. These trains scream the park strip back to what it once was: a marshaling yard of Wriezener Bahnhof. The sound produced by the train and the track is overwhelming, varying from soft whispering to loud squealing and heavy rumbling. The last train leaving at 18.30 will have 12 singers that when the train comes to a halt in the park will sing the sound produced by the train. After that we invited the residents of the Helsingforser Strasse to comment by screaming out of their window either three time bravo or three time boohoo. By manipulating the rails with small kerfs and welds and acoustically amplifying its sound, the acoustic potential of the train and the rail network is being explored. Check pictures from the exhibition on 4th and 5th of July 2008 here.