Sound Shifting: From Soundscape to Soundshape

Sound Shifting is an artistic research project that focuses on the physical representation of sound - this means the visualization and materialization of invisible phenomena that significantly shape our perception. We present a system that allows the transformation from sound into form in real-time by using a newly developed machine, the Audio Foam Cutter. This machine converts sound into polystyrene stripes that are arranged into sculptural objects. The resulting sound sculptures provide information about the represented sounds by their shape and aesthetic features and expand the range of our auditory perception to the tangible domain. The sound sculptures are snapshots of our soundscape and form a physical archive of sound representations. The Sound Shifting project aims to create an awareness of the materiality of sonic movements and affects.