tone along- echoes of encounters
Lithophone made of local minerals of the Purble Mountain Nanjing, bamboo, rope,
mallets from wood, rubber and stone
2024
What sounds are embedded in our Earth, and what stories do they whisper?
In the vibration of the lithosphere lies not just a history of the planet, but a potential conversation—a way to (re)connect with the land in a deeper, more resonant way.
This lithophone installation brings together the sounds of local minerals, that resonate when struck or vibrated, producing tones that echo the properties of their materials.
What can the frequencies of these local minerals reveal? Can we listen to them with other than aural senses, our intuition? How can we engage with these vibrations in a way that transcends the human need for control, and instead allows us to harmonize within the mineral world? In this way, the ephemeral sounds created in collaboration with these stones may become a trace of our brief encounter—a fleeting, yet meaningful interaction on the vast, uncharted scale of deep time.
This instrument is an invitation to reflect, explore and speculate on the polyphony and correspondence of minerals around and within us. The rocks of this underground space—hanging but also cast in concrete within the bunker’s walls—serve as our counterparts, with their own mineral existence that resonates alongside ours. Together, we share the sound of being, in the reverberations that connect us with the planet’s deepest layers.
To be, is always to be and sound with stone beings.
Realised for the group exhibition Rock Host, Infrustructuring the Void
Curated by Iris Long and Zike He
Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art Nanjing China
