LE045

Jasmine Guffond is an artist and composer working at the interface of social, political and technical infrastructures. Focused on electronic composition across music and art contexts, her practice spans live performance, recording, sound installation and custom made browser add-on. Through the sonification of data she addresses the potential of sound to engage with contemporary political questions. She has released solo albums with the Sonic Pieces and Karl Records labels. A new full-length album is released on Editions Mego in March 2020.

Artist notes:

Current Harmonics was initially a 28 channel composition and site specific sound installation for Reservoir electronic arts festival in July 2019. Located at the Linachtalsperre dam in the black forest, this hydroelectric power station was built between 1922 and 1925 in the industrial region of Baden-Würtemberg. I composed a piece in MaxMSP using the frequencies generated by the current harmonics of electricity. The fundamental frequency for Germany being 60 hertz, current harmonics are positive multiples of the fundamental frequency, just like the functioning of harmonics for sound waves. Most hydroelectric dams operate via the force of water falling at such a rapid rate so as to mobilise the turning of large electro magnets attached to a rotor. This in turn produces a flow of electrons. To mimic the motion of falling water intrinsic to the functioning of the Linachtalsperre dam, I employed a descending movement between the frequencies of the current harmonics of 60 hertz.

Deep listening for me is to focus uniquely on sound, and thereby on the moment. Akin to an alternate state of consciousness perhaps not unlike forms of meditation. The deeper one listens the more one hears, as quiet sounds gain presence and a universe of sound, new to the listener, is unveiled.