Cycloïd-Ɛ

Musical inspiration and engineering ingenuity come together in this performative sound installation. The work, created by Cod.Act, an artist duo of Swiss brothers André (1967) and Michel Décosterd (1969), is based on a formal analysis of the relationship between sound and movement.

Cod.Act’s artworks, which mostly constitute performative sound-making devices, are often inspired by the natural sciences. The basic concept of the current piece, for instance, is the creation of seemingly natural oscillations and related sound effects within in a system that is also harmonic in its movement.

The result then allows for manifold interpretations: it simultaneously reminds us of a mock-up of the Pythagorean model of the universe playing the music of the spheres and a futuristic robot that is not quite anthropomorphic, but bears human intelligence.

The horizontal pendulum structure was constructed by linking five individual pendulums, each of which is a musical instrument that produces (pre-recorded, orchestral) sound, depending on the movement of the sculpture.

As a result of their complexity and the sudden, rapid changes in the cycloid movements of the pendulums, the manifesting sound is not clear, but transforms into hybrid resonances. The musical parts, nevertheless, always remain in harmony.

Cod.Act grounds its works in technical and scientific enquiry, rather than the traditions of avant-garde art. Their installations, however, are objects that can be interpreted as works of art, where the relevance of aesthetic approach, as opposed to industrial applicability, is clear explicit.