To create sound art with our body, the most private space, results in the most intimate confrontation between public and our work »The ultrasound of therapy« presented in Ljubljana, Slovenia at the Kapelica Gallery in the form of an installation that gives visitors the chance to experience a unique, personal sensory experience. Inspired by the ancient French hospital ‘La Salle des Malades”, the installation mimics a clinical environment. First visitors details are taken, then they will be admitted to a cubicle, complete with hospital bed, where artist ‘doctors’ and artist ‘nurses’ will treat their ‘patients’ with personalised sound therapies, ranging from relaxing, and energising to slightly disturbing. In addition to the individual therapeutic sounds, an overall acoustic is created for the whole space, unifying it into one sound installation. This sound will be transmitted to radios mounted in the space, to speakers in the room and to special bass shakers mounted under the beds. These sound therapies are made by us, and invited artists, like Simon Wickham-Smith, Lynn Pook, BMB.con, G.X. Jupitter Larsen and the video-maker Bas van Koolwijk. This installation was shown again at Garage festival in Stralsund, at I.D.E.A.L festival in Nannte, at the Corner House Gallery in Manchester and at the Townhouse Gallery of contemporary art in Cairo

Most of the time our work is a one way communication from us to a larger audience. As a soundart group we were disativied with this situation and wanted to explore the possibilities that can be created to change this pattern. For this reason we developed a form where we can have a personal and individual interaction with our public.

And in our work we are confronted with a expectation pattern, that is based on standardized behavior rules. These rules are more or less globally diffident therefor people from different cultural and social background know what is expected of them when they visit a music concert ore a art event. If however you select a form that is unknown to them and does not have public divined model of behavior people start to respond according to their culture and tradition. In order to create this open situation we have chosen the form of a hospital and the use of medical forms in presentation and action. And the result is that French respond very different then English or German and that they are incomparable to the resonsec of the people from Cairo. We are happy to say that we have found a installation form that is a mirror and reflect peoples culture, indifudual emotions, fear and interest

The ultrasound of therapy starts with an ‘intake’. Here the patient is asked to enter relevant data in to a patient’s form,like name, address, date of birth, profession, relevant habits, etc. On this form we select a treatment and the patient will be placed onto a hospital bed, visually isolated by hospital curtains. The sound therapy will vary in time and treatment: since each patient and each treatment is different, s/he will be individually treated and instructed. Some therapies will be relaxing, others energizing or even disturbing. Before leaving the patient is asked to complete their form with any comments, good or bad, that they may have about their treatment.

The therapies so far are:
1. Aqua Elise: an acoustic treatment made by two toy music instruments driven by water power. One bass shaker is mounted under the bed.
2. Falung Song: a edited video of Falung Gong meditation is placed under the bed, and a hole is made in the mattress with a Chinese’s Buddha chant machine that plays Buddhist loops on headphones, one bass shaker is mounted under the bed.
3. Hot Shaking: a bed treated with an electrical blanket and a massage machine is controlled by sound via light organ, AEG takes body sounds and two bass shaker are mounted under the bed, a sound track of 70’s porno is heard through headphones.
4. Digital See: a set of ventilators and two sanding machines, mounted under the bed are controlled by different sound channels via light organ plus a stroboscope and a soundtrack made by Kozo Inada is on the headphones.
5. Riders on the storm: a video loop is placed under the bed and a hole is made in the mattress one sanding machine is mounted under the bed controlled by sound and a different composition of Kozo Inada is on the headphones .
6. Smith & Wickham: four sine waves of varying amplitudes are played simultaneously with a combination of pink, white and brown noise. The selection of the specific frequencies is made in consultation with the doctor and is based upon the Indo-Tibetan theory of vadacakra.
7. Raplapla: a 14-channel audiotactile soundinstallation, in which the body becomes a resonator, from within which the patient, lying on a hammock, hears prerecorded sounds played by a computer system.
8. I See:  A 3D video made for us by Bas van Koolwijk  that is viewed through 3D glasses. The monitor is placed under the bed and the soundtrack played through headphones and a basshaker fixed under the bed, for a full physical experience .
9. BMB con-plex. (Biotechnology Makes Business Consultancy) brings you Der Otoakustischer Emissionstherapie. Recent research has shown that the human hearing mechanism produces its own soundwaves. These waves, known as “Oto-acoustic emissions” are high up in the ultrasonic spectrum and normally cannot be perceived by a listener. These soundwaves interact with incoming sound as part of the localisation and analysis system of the human brain. BMB con. have developed an experimental therapy which can help listeners to produce stronger Oto-acoustic emissions, and therefore improve their hearing capabilities. An apparatus is placed around the ears of the patient. This detects the OAE’s, transposes them into the normal hearing range and also introduces a controlled bio-feedback circuit so that the patient learns (subconsciously) to control OAE production. The patient is blindfolded to avoid conflicting stimulation. A side effect of the therapy is that short-term auditive memory can be erased - patients report the sensation of hearing recent sounds “leaving their heads”. This has no known adverse effects, and in fact adds to the sensation of having “clear ears” after treatment.
10. Carried away: G.X. Jupitter-Larsen made a field recording composition that is heard blindfolded while laying on a stretcher and constantly transported  and relocated by the artist ‘doctors’ .

(1. to 5. are made by Staalplaat Soundsystem, number 6. is made by Simon Wickham-Smith (London), number 7. by Lynn Pook (France), number 8. by Bas van Koolwijk (NL), number 9. by BMB con (NL) and number 10. by G.X. Jupitter-Larsen(US) Several new therapies are under construction!

We consider this as work in progress and want this concept to develop over the years, adjust existing therapies based on the experience we make and expand it with contributions of other artists.supported by: Gaudeamus Foundation Contemporary Music Center and de Ambassade van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (the Dutch Embassy) There were two TV transmisions and some radio.

1. The ultrasound of therapy in Ljubljana-04 (19,5MB)

>>> see all SONIC THERAPY installations and performances