Site-responsive works for Pulzus Art Camp, Odorheiu, Transylvania, Romania

Invited by great artist and good friend Berze Imre, I joined the 7th edition of Pulzus Art Camp to make new work for an exhibition that was hosted in a special exhibition space owned by the city museum.

The project only lasted 10 days, so the pressure to create new work was high. Initial exploratory walks showed that the area is heavily dependant on timber processing and industry. I tested piezo discs as resonators through timber and found that a soft sound could be heard. However the sound was much more audible if one pressed two pieces of wood playing the sound against their ears.

After discussing the idea with local artist Kolumban-Antal Jozsef, he provided me with a pair of Stihl ear defenders, used by worker using chainsaws and other timber cutting machinery. I removed the soft pads used for protection, replacing them with shaped pieces of wood, effectively turning them into timber headphones.

The sound heard was recorded from the branches of the willow tree that dominates the garden of Spányar Ház, where the art camp was held, and I discovered after being drawn to use this tree that it featured in some way in each of the previous editions of the camp.