19,980 - London

The 19,980 series aims to represent the sonic identity of a city as completely as possible. It was last exhibited in summer of 2023 at M-O Connects in London.

Each city has a complex amalgamation of histories, cultures and soundscapes. Everyone’s experience of it differs drastically due to geographic location, socio-economical setting, and a number of other variables. In order to provide a more democratic sound of the city, the work asks that field recordings be publicly submitted. At the installation, listeners are invited to activate these recordings which are played through a quadrophonic speaker setup. Each field recording starts unfiltered before being reduced to a thin band of frequency, and looped. As more field recordings are added, the entirety of the aural-typical hearing range (20Hz – 20kHz, 19,980Hz in total) is occupied. New field recordings eventually replace older ones in the frequency spectrum, resulting in an immersive sonic mosaic representing the current sound of the city.