J. Scriba

media art

Bach_10k

transforms the huge disused gas storage tank in Augsburg, Germany, into an ever-changing soundscape. The hypnotic swing of the Foucault pendulum sets the beat for a very slow rendition of Bach's prelude in C.

Chords build up note by note conducted by this gargantuan metronome. At a pace of one note every 17 seconds the piece runs about 10,000 seconds. That's how the project got it's name.
Starting and ending in pure C-major the progression through tensed or even dissonant chords can be felt bodily as organ pipes make the air inside the towering steel cylinder resonate.

As the planet revolves, seemingly making the pendulum change its orientation in space the harmonies follow their tracks hidden in time.

A full perfornce of Bach_10k takes almost three hours. However, to experience the sound, such endurance is not at all required. The changing of the harmonic qualities is always present.

This video is abridged to ten minutes and gives a good impression of the harmonic architecture of the piece. Unfortunately, there is no way to convey the physical experience of actually being inside the soundspace and moving around in it.