Paul Gründorfer
For this residency, I would like to research a project called “whisper,” which deals with sound phenomena and subliminal sound and voice experiences.
I aim to investigate how phonetic voice or speech fragments resonate and are reflected in different environments and inhabit imaginary abstract spaces using elements of digital feedback synthesis and generative voice models as physical modelling and LLM.
My previous work involves hidden signals, such as high frequencies and very low frequency ranges, or other inaudible sound phenomena related to the detection or perception limits of signals.
At the moment I am interested in how or whether the technical implementation of speech synthesis and voice analysis in everyday electronic devices like cell phones and their advanced applications (transcription, hidden search suggestions or other background processes) behave like ‘ghostly voice agents’.
Starting from the idea of subliminal experiences such as those found in Japanese ghost stories of Yokai / Mononoke or the electronic voice phenomenon, where people report hearing hidden messages in radio frequency recordings, I would like to develop an experimental space that deals with these phenomena.
I have already begun developing a loudspeaker setup for vocal and phoneme sounds using paper horn structures, providing a type of resonant amplification of the vocal tract (some pictures attached). Additionally, I am interested in working with directional ultrasonic speakers and researching how de-modulation behaves on different surfaces.
The proposed project also serves as commentary on the development and integration of audio technology as a tracking and surveillance tool, as well as its application in areas such as AI, product-oriented user content, personalised commercial advertising, announcements, and information dissemination.
Bio:
Paul Gründorfer develops process-related systems and explores variable or unstable conditions within the occurrence of sound when exposed to amplification, feedback and plural signal streams. Artistic practice in the scope of conceptual and process art, site specific intervention, sound sculpture and performance.
His works focus on processes that evolve in a social space, where sound is considered a found object and event, that directly relates to, influences and reflects the environment. They deal with the instability of systems, questioning the role of control and reaction, and researching mechanisms of hidden signals.