Since I just spent some time in Germany, it’s a great opportunity to tell you about German artist Christina Kubisch and her installation at the Goethe Institute in Nancy, which I recently attended. The installation will be in place until November 19th of this year so there is still time to check it out if you are able to.

Christina Kubisch’s work has long straddled the line between audio and visual arts. Essentially, this installation showcases her recent work documenting audio derived from magnetic fields emanating from specific locations. Each location is represented by both a photo and a headset recording.

The audio consists of electromagnetic waves converted to audio sound. Each location has a specific signature sound based on the “electromagnetic fingerprint” of that particular place. For example: the cow pasture was relatively quiet, and in comparison, the dual ATMs were squealing noise akin to Merzbow’s Rainbow Electronics album. One thing Kubisch shows here is how frighteningly pervasive electromagnetic waves are; yes, you would expect them walking down a city street, but in a cow pasture? The diversity of sounds in differing locations also documents the variation of electric fields we are unaware of on an everyday basis, which, frankly, scares me in a strangely beautiful way.