SHH II – a sound installation
SHH I – Solo for a Head
Performed by Symposium TOGETHER IN THE UNIVERSE OF SOUND on 20th of October
2021 in Maunula Talo in Helsinki
SHH I is a short solo piece about 3 and half minutes, for no instrument but a head. In this
composition, all movements details are written in the score explicitly, not like an
improvisation.
The piece may be played simultaneously by multiple soloists, but they don’t have to
synchronize with each other: every musician plays each time just for one person/audience
member. This single audience member wears a pair of ear plugs during the performance, to
make sure that they can’t hear anything from the concert hall or the atmosphere, but only the
noise from his or her own head through his or her skull and the ear plugs. The ‘instruments’
are the hair, ears and the skin on the face (if a gentleman also the beard) of the audience
member, the musician plays wearing a pair disposable gloves.
The point is, the musician can’t hear his performance (nor can any other audience in the
vicinity), but he feels it from his hands/fingers. For the single audience member who is
played, it is absolutely a private play just for him, and he can not only hear it, but especially
also feel it.
This live performance is the first part of the piece. The second part is the sound installation
SHH II for two speakers around it: There is a recording, which is the same sound material as
the live performance. When people walk around, they can hear the recording to make out
what’s going on with the live performance, it also means, that they have the chance to hear
the noise from somebody’s ear, which is totally anti-private.
