Have you ever night sleepless in bed, trying to identify the surrounding noise you? Is that the refrigerator or the pumping bass of speakers? If it comes from outside? Or is it inside you? If this sounds so familiar, you may be a victim of the Hum.
Those who hear it often describe it as a low pulsing drone with no obvious source. No one cause has been clearly identified, though various features of modern life have been blamed – power lines, satellite debris, mobile phone masts, micro-seismic activity, even low-frequency submarine communications.
This installation examines our experience of the hum. Using ear witness accounts, field recordings, electromagnetic interference and drones, intertwined with our own human hums, we wish to reclaim the Hum as a companion, an acoustic ally that soothes your ills away.
The Hum is created for Radio Revolten 2016 and The Great Murmur : The Metamorphosis of Radio exhibition (curated by Anna Friz) featuring Steve Bates (ca/qc), Golo Föllmer and friends (de), Fernando Godoy M and Rodrigo Ríos Zunino (cl), Jeff Kolar (us), Emmanuel Madan (ca/qc), Sally Ann McIntyre (nz), Kristen Roos (ca), with Maia Urstad (no).
Thanks to the World Hum map for data and witness reports and to Marcus-Andreas Mohr/Radio Revolten for the additional photos.
A broadcast only version of The Hum was produced for radioCona:WolFMoon, an FM exhibition and series of twilight listening events running from 12th – 19th January 2017.
