I stumbled across this genius piece of public sound art Touched Echo by Mark Uskison which dates back to 2006 but the subject matter itself relates to one of the many air raids on Germany in 1945, in this case Dresden 13th February 1945….
The project is setup at an appropriate tourist location & participants are requested to place their hands over their ears & lean on the metal railing, much as one might have during an air raid… By using sound conductors integrated in the railing, the sound of aeroplanes and explosions are transmitted from the swinging balustrade through the arm directly into the inner ear via bone conduction and cannot be heard by anyone else.
Transmitting sound via bone vibration is often used in hearing aids but this is the first time I have heard of it being used for sound art… After a bit of a wander around via google I found a few interesting applications, including a talking doll that only its owner can hear, and an explanation of how the process of ‘bone conduction’ actually works by a company who produce a system that employs the technique to turn an entire motorbike helmet into a speaker…
So next time you need total isolation when recording gun shots or explosions or that meathead drummer this might be just what you need!
