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STARTS is an initiative of the European Commission to foster alliances of technology and artistic practice. As part of this initiative, the STARTS residencies foster pioneering collaborations and the STARTS Prize honors the most inspired results in the field of creativity and innovation at the crossings of science and technology with the arts. STARTS is funded through various schemes provided by the European Commission.
Extendable Ears
Sheng-Wen Lo
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Credits: Sheng-Wen Lo
Credits: Sheng-Wen Lo
Audio visual installation, documents
While living with friends, I realized ‘noise’ is subjective: what’s music for me may torture others. Likewise, noise is species-dependent: animals including dogs, cats, bats, and insects can hear ultrasound (> 20 KHz) beyond our hearing perception. However, the fact that we cannot hear ultrasound does not prevent us from producing it: we use appliances, tools, and vehicles—the manufactures of which only measure operation noises in ‘audible’ frequency range.
I wondered—Am I unintentionally producing ultrasound noises that annoy other species1 ? Am I living in ultrasound-rich societies? To find out, I made a wearable device which transforms ultrasound (20~70 KHz) to audible ranges, allowing my ears to register sound frequencies similar to cats’2 . I decided to wear this device for one month (24/7) 3, feeding ultrasound noise to my ears to see if I would go crazy. Surprisingly, I found myself starting to have bizarre dreams; I recorded them in a diary.
1 Sales, G. D., et al. Laboratory Animals 22.4 (1988): 369-375.
2 Cats can hear higher-pitched sounds than humans (55Hz-79kHz).
3 In the Netherlands and Taiwan.
Links: https://www.shengwenlo.com/extendable-ears
While living with friends, I realized ‘noise’ is subjective: what’s music for me may torture others. Likewise, noise is species-dependent: animals including dogs, cats, bats, and insects can hear ultrasound (> 20 KHz) beyond our hearing perception. However, the fact that we cannot hear ultrasound does not prevent us from producing it: we use appliances, tools, and vehicles—the manufactures of which only measure operation noises in ‘audible’ frequency range.
I wondered—Am I unintentionally producing ultrasound noises that annoy other species1 ? Am I living in ultrasound-rich societies? To find out, I made a wearable device which transforms ultrasound (20~70 KHz) to audible ranges, allowing my ears to register sound frequencies similar to cats’2 . I decided to wear this device for one month (24/7) 3, feeding ultrasound noise to my ears to see if I would go crazy. Surprisingly, I found myself starting to have bizarre dreams; I recorded them in a diary.
1 Sales, G. D., et al. Laboratory Animals 22.4 (1988): 369-375.
2 Cats can hear higher-pitched sounds than humans (55Hz-79kHz).
3 In the Netherlands and Taiwan.
Links: https://www.shengwenlo.com/extendable-ears
Programming: Kees Reedijk (werkplaats elektronica, Rijksakademie)
Consultant physician: Dr. HHF (Bert) Derkx (resident scientist, Rijksakademie)
Consultant sleep physician: Dr. Hans Hamburger, somnologist. AMSTERDAM SLAAP CENTRUM at Boerhaave MC
Consultant biologist: Dr. Kendy Tzu-Yun Teng, DVM Ph.D., University of Sydney
Design collaboration: Yi-Fei Chen (Fei Studio)
With support from Mondriaan Fund (NL), Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (NL), National Culture and Arts Foundation (TW)
Consultant physician: Dr. HHF (Bert) Derkx (resident scientist, Rijksakademie)
Consultant sleep physician: Dr. Hans Hamburger, somnologist. AMSTERDAM SLAAP CENTRUM at Boerhaave MC
Consultant biologist: Dr. Kendy Tzu-Yun Teng, DVM Ph.D., University of Sydney
Design collaboration: Yi-Fei Chen (Fei Studio)
With support from Mondriaan Fund (NL), Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (NL), National Culture and Arts Foundation (TW)
Sheng-Wen Lo (TW) has been investigating the relationships between non-humans and contemporary society, often taking daily experiences as points of departure and playfully engaging with them. As a maker, his practice comprises installations, video games, and escape rooms, as well as still and moving images. He received an MA in Photography from AKV|St.Joost in the Netherlands, and an MSc in Computer Science from the Computer Music Lab at National Taiwan University. Sheng is currently an Artist in Residence at the Rijksakademie (2019-2021) in Amsterdam.