Jad Atoui: «Vibrant Pools» (2022 / 2023)
interactive sound installation
«Vibrant Pools» is an installation that delves into the realm of acoustic resonance, focusing on the transformative power of sound when interacting with various objects through iterative recording and playback.
At the core of this installation lies the idea of immersing different objects, brass, glass and iron vases in particular, in the acoustic ambiance of a room and allowing their unique resonant frequencies to unfold. Each object contributes its distinctive character to the sonic tapestry of the room.
Borrowing from Alvin Lucier’s pioneering work around natural acoustics and their relation to space, the piece commences with gentle and atonal sounds transduced into objects, gradually introducing the listener to the subtle vibrations and harmonics hidden within these objects. As the iterative recording and playback process progresses, the sonic landscape begins to form dynamically. The interplay of resonances, overtones, and reverberations creates a rich mosaic of sound, resonating with the soul of the room.
Through the cyclical process of recording and playback, the objects' sonic personalities become more pronounced and vibrant, as if they are engaging in a symphony of their own conduction. The transformation is organic, with the room itself becoming an active participant in this sonic transfiguration, and a witness to the subtle musicality that surrounds objects daily.
«Vibrant Pools» is an embodied research into the life of objects and the poetics of space; it is a foray into their ontology and its relation to human subjectivity.
Über Jad Atoui
Jad Atoui is a Beirut-based sound artist and improviser whose work spans through live performance, compositions, installations, and workshops. He composes and performs electronic and electro-acoustic music. Jad has performed with musicians like John Zorn, Pauline Oliveros, Laurie Anderson, Chuck Bettis, Tarek Atoui and Anthony Sahyoun. He has also given and co-directed workshops at Marfa Sounding, Ashkal Alwan and Beirut Synth Center. His commissioned work folio includes residencies at The Stone (NYC), The National Sawdust (NYC), Beirut Art Center, Arab Image foundation and The Sharjah Art Foundation.
During his formative years in New York, Atoui found interest in the New York avant-garde scene while working closely with NYC downtown musicians, learning improvised music techniques; along with working at The Stone and The Guggenheim museum.
In 2015, Atoui spearheaded the «Biosonics» project in collaboration with scientist Ivan Marazzi in order to incorporate bio-sonification of behaviors as compositional tools. The project was later published in John Zorn’s «Arcana Book Vol. XVIII» and premiered at The National Sawdust as part of The Stone’s commissioning series.
Jad's currently working with artist and musician Anthony Sahyoun on their Duo NP. They released their first album «Lattices» under Ruptured Label. Recent musical ventures also include joining Kinematik's «Ensemble 1: Al Jadi».