‘If these walls could talk’ isn’t always just a turn of phrase. Sometimes, they do. The Tvísöngur Sound Sculpture in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, is formed of five dome-like concrete structures and was built to sing in a five-part harmony, amplifying the mountainside landscape where it sits. Closer to home, throughout the characteristically harsh windy months Manchester’s 47-story tall Beetham Tower whistles at high frequencies across the city.
The ‘Human Harp’, built by a team at Queen Mary University of London, takes this idea and runs with it. Inspired by suspension bridge architecture, cables are drawn from the bridge structure and are then attached to a chest plate-like device worn by the user. The twanging of the strings are then measured by digital sensors to form sonic textures from the structure’s natural vibrations. This enables participants to, in essence, play the bridge.