Jasna Veličković performs her Opera of Things
The Velicon is an electro-acoustic instrument consisting of a metal board with magnetic figures. The performer leads a coil over the magnets, triggering the magnetic fields to produce their ‘voice’.
Veličković uses a similar procedure to capture the ‘voices’of power adapters or remote controllers. The title of this work alludes to the concept of the ‘Internet of Things’, which involves extending internet connectivity begyond standard devices into any range of common objects, such as a lamp or thermostat.
The Singing Machine by Martin Riches
Artists Martin Riches and composer Tom Johnson present a collaborative installation: at regular intervals Riches ‘Singing Machine performs The Audition, an aria Johnson cpmposed for this artificial voice. Riches’fascination with mechanised speech synthesis has also produced other instruments, such as his Talking Machine and MotorMounth. His Singing Machine has a range of one octave and the ability to sing vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). The sound of its voice is both impressive and uncanny because it produces its song with a flow of air, a vibrating larynx, and a moving tongue and lips that are beyond the human body.