< aiueo > choir
2025
Sound performance / Interactive Sound Sculpture
This piece is an experimental electronic choir instrument built from five Japanese vowels: a, i, u, e, o. Each vowel is represented through a custom-made vocal tract model, inspired by the work of Takayuki Arai. The sound is generated using plastic tubes shaped to replicate the formant structures of each vowel, paired with oscillators based on formant synthesis principles.
As an instrument, it deconstructs human voice production and speech—especially within the context of Japanese phonetics—into sculptural and performative elements. The user interacts through a pitch knob and a distance sensor that modulates the density of the sound, creating an expressive, tangible experience of vocal manipulation.
During live performance, the sound is controlled manually via a MIDI keyboard, adjusting pitch, density, and note triggers in real time. All synthesis runs through a single environment (PlugData), allowing the sonic behaviour to be fully responsive to the performance space. Depending on the acoustics and spatial dynamics of the environment, the choir’s sound and movement can be tuned.
This project explores the voice not as a means of language, but as a sonic material.
