surface, bounce and cycles
2022 · solar-powered sound installation and sculpture · Union Canal, Edinburgh, UK · commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival
Surface Bounce and Cycles explored what lies beneath the Union Canal—its edges, depths, and the mirage of animals and objects moving beneath its waters. Centered around sound, the work used listening as a way of exploring multiplicity. Recordings gathered from above and below the water brought together underwater murmurs, currents and distant urban echoes with birdsong, canal-side voices and the movement of trees.
Speakers were positioned beneath two bridges alongside two sculptural elements: a convex form and a note formation. Powered by solar panels and programmed to respond to cycles of daylight and weather, the soundscape shifted with changing environmental conditions. Volume, tone and rhythm responded to sunlight, wind speed and time of day, allowing the work to continuously evolve with the rhythms of the canal.
Each bridge created its own acoustic conditions, shaping the amplification, echo and spatial distribution of the sound. The left and right channels carried distinct, location-specific properties, revealing different layers as listeners moved through the space.
Through gentle resonance rather than direct intervention, Surface Bounce and Cycles blurred the boundaries between natural and human environments, inviting listeners to reconsider the canal as a layered space of sound, movement and history.
Commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival, along various sites along the Union Canal for the duration of Edinburgh Art Festival (28 Jul-28 Aug). Five new commissions by Maeve Redmond, Hannan Jones, Amanda Thomson, Janice Parker and Background Noise (radio station) curated by Emmie McLuskey. Speakers were positioned beneath two bridges alongside two sculptural elements: a convex form and a note formation. Powered by solar panels and programmed to respond to cycles of daylight and weather, the soundscape shifted with changing environmental conditions. Volume, tone and rhythm responded to sunlight, wind speed and time of day, allowing the work to continuously evolve with the rhythms of the canal.
Each bridge created its own acoustic conditions, shaping the amplification, echo and spatial distribution of the sound. The left and right channels carried distinct, location-specific properties, revealing different layers as listeners moved through the space.
Through gentle resonance rather than direct intervention, Surface Bounce and Cycles blurred the boundaries between natural and human environments, inviting listeners to reconsider the canal as a layered space of sound, movement and history.