Über den Teichen / Above the Ponds

A sound gradually enters into consciousness, surrounding hikers on their way from Kloster Grafschaft to the fishponds. The soft continuously hovering tone mingles with the different sounds of the forest and then becomes increasingly distinct beyond the ponds. On the opposite mountain slope, its source can be identified amidst a circle of tall, thin poles.

Using organ pipes as a model, six copper tubes were constructed and tuned to specific notes for this particular location. A seventh pipe is used to draw in air, which is then pushed through the pipes by an underground fan. The resulting tones come together Above the Ponds in a uniform cloud of sound.

In this way, Andreas Oldörp isolates a specific sound space from the otherwise acoustically uniform landscape, condenses it into a distinct unit, and redefines it through its own acoustic mood. Originally a visual artist, Oldörp has been working with sound art since 1986 and has since used his works to define the relationship between space and sound.

Reference: www.waldskulpturenweg.de/skulpturen/ueber-den-teichen/die-skulptur/
Further reading: WaldSkulpturenWeg, ed. by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft WaldSkulpturenWeg, texts by Uwe Rüth, Cologne 2011