"Magnetic Focus is an instrument that I use in performance. It is based on ELF (extremely low frequency) technology .. I use a series of wire coil antennas, and various devices that create radiation patterns."

ELF or extremely low frequency radiation is electro-magnetic radiation that corresponds to the audio frequencies that can be heard by the human ear and the ultrasonic frequncies that are just above human hearing. This translates into magnetic fields that oscillate between 20 Hz and 80,000 Hz. These frequencies of electromagnetic radiation surround us constantly, but we have no direct way to sense them. They can be translated into sound through the use of an ELF receiver and speakers. Unlike the radio waves that we use for broadcast (AM, FM, cell-phones, etc..), ELF signals have a significant difference in wavelength from their lowest frequency to their highest frequency. ELF receivers can be as simple as a wire coil plugged into a microphone preamplifier, or consist of more complicated broad-band receiver stages.

In performance, I work with a magnetic field antenna and receiver. The antenna is a loop with a 26 inch circumference. It is designed so that it can be turned and swivelled in all directions. This type of antenna and movement, allows one to pull focused (directional) signals out of the environment. "Natural" ELF radiation is caused by phenomenon such as solar-flares, the aurora borealis, and lightning storms. In populated areas, this natural radiation is mixed with and often obliterated by the noise of power-lines, transformers, and fold-down from higher frequency transmitters (radio transmitters, computers, monitors, cell phones, anything electronic). By passing the output of the ELF receiver through various filters, it's possible to remove the more annoying man-made noises (in particular power-line hum) and focus on the natural sounds mixed with more subtle frequency fold-down effects from wireless equipment and other electronic sources. In a particular performance space, the ELF fields can be mapped by the performer and turned into a composition of motion and tuning - the act of turning the antenna and moving it through space turns it into an odd musical instrument that pulls hidden sounds from the ether.

There's an audio release with eight sound pieces that were released in October 2008. The sounds are taken from speaker horns, the radio studio (at the ORF), street signs on Cambie street, power lines on the edge of town, and various noises collected with the "tripreamp".

You can listen to this album on Bandcamp.

The multi-antenna receiver rig using the "tripreamp".

 

Some examples of sounds from various coils and devices:

Excerpt from a trip to UBC Farm, August 2008.

This is the sound of the #25 bus. The sound of the powerlines (walking into the farm) are on the CD release (track 5).

Excerpts from "Very Low Frequency Radiation", live radio by Absolute Value of Noise, November 26, 2006 on Kunstradio ORF. Listening to the radiation from different devices in the studio - equipment racks, audio console, digital audio workstation, etc.

The audio console.

Horns and cable flutter.

Cell phones.

Noise + cell phones.

Sparkle.

Tuner.

Excerpts from "Light Bulb", audio CD, 2004. Early experiments with single loop wire coils around lamps.

Warming up.

Switching the lamps on and off.

Pictures from the Western Front and Kunstradio:

Photos from "Somewhere a voice is calling", Western Front, January 14th, 2007.

Photo from "Somewhere a voice is calling", Western Front, January 17th, 2007. During Art's Birthday.

Photos from Kunstradio, November 26, 2006.