Visitors speak into the bells of two horns. The sound is drawn into the apparatus. The collected voices become chaotically entangled inside an expanding balloon. Within the balloon, words collide and recombine. Over time, the pressure becomes too great and the valves open. The voices are forced through steel cornets toward an elastic membrane, where friction compels them to ignite. An iris opens, slowly releasing the luminous voice toward a series of lenses and mirrors. What follows is a choral harmony of mirrors that builds to a final, cacophonous performance of sound, rhythm, and light.
The audience speaks into the bells of two horns. Sound is inhaled into the apparatus. Collected voices become chaotically entangled inside an expanding balloon. Inside the balloon, words collide and recombine. Over time, the pressure becomes too great, and the valves open. Voices are forced through steel cornets towards an elastic membrane, where friction compels them to incandesce. An iris opens, slowly releasing the luminous voice towards a series of lenses and mirrors. From here follows a choral harmony of mirrors that builds into a final cacophonous performance of sound, rhythm and light.
Peter van Haaften is an interdisciplinary sound artist who creates interactive works, kinetic sculptures, and live performances. His artistic practice musically reimagines the notion of the algorithm as a revealing process, observable in the behavior of ordinary objects and in everyday experience. In his most recent work, generative music processes are combined with the gestural potential of physical matter, creating a direct link between gesture, sound, and algorithm. His projects have been presented internationally, notably at Ars Electronica (Austria), the Némo Biennale (France), the Japan Media Arts Festival (Japan), the ELEKTRA festival (Quebec), ISEA (Quebec), and in numerous other contexts. His work has received several distinctions, including the 2019 Matera Intermedia Festival Award in live performance and sound art for SPIEL (Italy), as well as an honorary mention for ON AIR at the Prix Ars Electronica (Austria).
Peter van Haaften is an interdisciplinary sound artist creating interactive artworks, kinetic sculptures, and live performances. His artistic practice musically reimagines the notion of the algorithm as a revealing process that can be observed in the behaviour of ordinary objects and everyday experience. In his most recent work, generative music procedures are tied to the gestural affordances of physical matter, creating a direct link between gesture, sound, and the algorithm. His projects have been presented internationally at Ars Electronica (AT), Biennale Némo (FR), the Japan Media Arts Festival (JP), ELEKTRA Festival (QC), ISEA (QC) and more. His work has received numerous awards including the 2019 Matera Intermedia Festival Award in Live Performance & Sound Art for “SPIEL” (IT), and an honorary mention for “ON AIR” in the Prix Ars Electronica (AT).
Michael Montanaro is a transdisciplinary artist recognized for his work in contemporary dance, theater, film, and interactive media. As an artist and professor emeritus, Montanaro is dedicated to the imagination, conceptual design, and creation of projects aimed at developing innovative and evolving ways to collaboratively engage performative practices and technology to enrich the interactive experience. His works have been presented internationally at festivals such as MNM: New Musics Festival (Canada), Western Front (Canada), FIFA (Canada), Ars Electronica (Austria), Kapelica Gallery (Slovenia), Biennale Némo (France), Sonica Biennale (Bulgaria), Eufònic (Spain), Current – New Media Festival Santa Fe (USA), milanOltre (Italy), Château de Lunéville (France), and the Singapore Arts Festival (Singapore). Montanaro also served as movement director and choreographer for Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai, which toured North America, Europe, and Australia between 2002 and 2018.
Michael Montanaro is a trans-disciplinary artist who is known for his work in thefields of contemporary dance, theatre, film, and interactive media. As anartist and professor emeritus, Montanaro is dedicated to the envisioning,conceptual design and creation of projects focused on evolving innovative waysin which performative practices and technology can be used collaboratively toenhance the interactive experience. His work has been presented internationallyat festivals such as MNM: New Musics Festival (CA), Western Front (CA), FIFA(CA), Ars Electronica (AT), Kapelica Gallery (SL), NEMO Biennale (FR), SonicaBiennale (BG), Eufònic (ES), Current-new media festival santa fe (usa),milanOltre (IT), Château de Lunéville (FR), Singapore Arts Festival (SGP).Montanaro was also the movement director and choreographer of Cirque duSoleil’s “Varekai” which toured North America, Europe and Australia between2002-2018.
Garnet Willis is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, sound engineer, composer, and instrument builder. He combines design, woodworking, metalworking, audio engineering, and electronics to produce works that explore the articulation between material form, musical interface, and sound. His practice examines the breadth of the human sensorium through direct, body-scale perceptual experience—rhythm, pitch, texture, weight—as a way to "rewild" our relationship with the tangible world. He particularly enjoys teamwork, especially when it involves inventing living, demanding objects. His recent research focuses on stochastic and metamorphic sculptures, whose internal tensions trigger unpredictable, real-time physical and musical transformations. A recipient of awards including the Bourges Prize (1995) and a Golden Nica at the Prix Ars Electronica (2025), he presents his work internationally (Europe, North America, and Latin America).
Garnet Willis is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, audio engineer, composer, and instrument builder. Blending design, wood/metal fabrication, sound engineering, and electronics, he creates artworks that explore the interplay between physical form, musical interface, and sound. His practice investigates the breadth of human perception through direct, human-scale sensory experience—pitch, tempo, material and touch—often as a way to “rewild” how we relate to the physical world. He thrives on collaboration, especially when it involves inventing lively, challenging objects. Recently, he has developed stochastic, shapeshifting sculptures whose internal stresses drive unpredictable, real-time changes in both structure and music. His work has received major awards including the Bourges Prize (1995) and the Ars Electronica Golden Nica (2025), and has been shown internationally across Europe, North America, and Latin America.
