duet

Duet is a sound installation investigating the Japanese aesthetic of ma as a centralizing concept of the composition of spatialized sound. Presented in the 32-channel speaker array of the University of Limerick’s SpADE (Spatialization and Audio Display Environment) lab, Duet elaborates on ma’s intention towards the sounding of emptiness as a space between things. Ma translates to a space, emptiness, a pause or a gap between things. In the words of Arata Isozaki, ma applies to “the space in between things that exist next to each other; an interstice between things…. in a temporal context, the time of rest or pause in phenomena occurring one after another.” With its emphasis on quiet dynamics, Duet explores the auditory horizon as an evolving interplay between sound objects, place, and listening perception; a duet between sound objects and the space defined by their resonance. By examining the spatio-temporal essence of ma, Duet engages with the entirety of present sound elements, both within the work and its place of performance.