Silence As Stillness? Sonic Experiences in Art using Infrasonics

Is silence the ultimate depiction of stillness in a sonic environment? Not all music is audible, if it is created using a frequency range high or low enough. Developments in sound reproduction, measurement and creation technologies have allowed us to control the frequency and volume of sound more fully, challenging our idea of what silence is. There are certain ranges within the low frequency sound spectrum that teeter on the cusp of audibility, but are never silent. Rather, they involve entire structures or bodies in the ‗listening ‘ experience through vibration, ultimately allowing listeners an individualised role in their own experience of a work. This paper discussed some artists approaches to low frequency sound production in composition, installation, and performance. A sound is all the possible ways there are to hear it. (Fontana, 1981) Inaudible low frequency sounds, often called infrasound, offer a radical new tool in the construction of sound works that wish to involve the listener in new, centralised ways, creating new levels of embodiment in installation, performance and recording. Infrasound can be used to lace audible sound, imply sonic depth or to create controlled vibrations, the latter which can have a range of physical effects on human bodies and objects in general. The experience of listening is something often aligned with stillness through ideas o