Sidewinder

In Sidewinder, seven plastic panels are hung across the space of the RBB-Klanggalerie from the level of the first floor. Looking like a set of floating flags, the panels twist, move, and flex in a series of changing patterns to produce a composition in sound and motion that evokes an airborne living presence. A sidewinder is a type of poisonous snake known for its coiling motion; it propels itself quickly across sandy terrain and leaves a distinctive sideways track as it moves. Here that motion is mimicked in the air, but the only tracks it leaves are made from quickly-dispersing sound waves.

The entrance hall of Radio Brandenberg Berlin is a dominating one that resists most interventions into it. With its strong yellow coloring and rectangular forms, the room provides a tightly formed geography that seems complete as it is. In addition, the way that sound diffuses through the space quickly blurs many of its acoustic details and limits the kinds of sounds that can exist effectively within it. By designing Sidewinder to be as much visual as it is aural and working with the limited range of sounds produced by the PVC sheets, the attributes of the space can be utilized effectively.

Quicktime Video - 320x240 (5.3mb)