SONIC ART PROJECT
The Echotheque is a sonic art project formed by A. Grant Helzer and Brent Helzer that creates preservational sonic pieces using architectural space as its medium.
Ongoing series include the Sonic Tours Series— recordings of resonating spaces as a means of historic preservation— and Obscurities— experiments in how building materials alter the experience of sound.
The project spans a range of 20th Century and experimental styles with specific focus on Musique Concrète and noise/ambience pieces, and draws from the work of Alvin Lucier, Pierre Henry, Steve Reich, as well as the recent works of Jacob Kirkegaard.
The Echotheque treats architectural space as a medium, closely following the expansion of sonic palette in 20th Century music which moved beyond the tones and timbres of the orchestra to explore the sounds of the everyday. Part of these everyday sounds include the sounds of the built environment— sounds of building materials and enclosed spaces.
This close engagement with architecture allows for these sonic pieces to not only operate as art, but also as pieces of historic preservation. These pieces collect and document the sounds of spaces, allowing them to become transportable and be experienced from a distance. The Echotheque has developed its own theory of preservation which is at work within each production.