Q+A: Audio Alchemist Derek Holzer Turns Light Into Sound
Night falls on a warm day in late April. Spring has just arrived, and the New York City streets are struggling to retain some of their warmth after the sun’s retreat. In a dimly lit rental performance space in Brooklyn, arms emblazoned with tattoos pierce the darkness, hovering over the surface of an overhead projector, its bright lamp shining through RGB filters onto transparent glass.
The room is silent save for the soft, rhythmic clicking of the tiny motorized spinning disc that sits atop the surface of the projector. An alien hum begins to reverberate throughout the space as the tattooed arms reach out to place more of these tiny machines onto the glass, mutating and oscillating the once-familiar sound waves with all manner of distortion and noise as new light sources and objects are introduced into the work area.
This is just a brief synopsis of ‘TONEWHEELS,’ the entrancing audiovisual performance exhibited by sound artist Derek Holzer during this year’s Bent Festival. While most performers at the festival were primarily interested in re-working the circuitry found in old toys, Holzer’s photo-sensitive machines, and the associated performance piece, are more concerned with exploring new ways of creating sound and music in a live setting. By imprinting basic waveforms onto the spinning photosensitive machines, Holzer’s setup becomes an instrument in its own right; one that uses light — not fingers, hands or air — to create awe-inspiring soundscapes, the likes of which you’ve never heard before.
Head to MOTHERBOARD to read my full interview and find out what drove this humble metalhead to become an experimental sound artist.
