Sandra Volny creates an entire universe from sounds being emitted at different amplitudes, inaudible to the human ear. What attracts her in particular, are landscapes that are subject to extreme conditions. In order to extract the “hidden” sounds of nature, she draws on the expertise of research scientists who specialize in measuring the Earth’s imperceptible movements and sounds through techniques such as seismography.

In this exhibition, Sandra Volny unveils normally inaudible sounds from glacial ice in the Antarctic and sand from the New Mexico desert. Marrying her artistic skills with scientific research, she has developed a process that allows her to reveal and archive the sound of ice on metal. The vibrations recorded by seismographs become audible through algorithms designed by mathematician and geophysicist Julien Chaput. For close to a month, these vibrations are projected onto pigments suspended in water. As the water slowly evaporates, the pigments settle on the bottom of large steel tanks, creating a collection of “sound fossils” – an entire universe of crystallized tones.

Sandra Volny holds a PhD in Arts and Art Sciences from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.  Her thesis – Surviving Aural Spaces explored the persistence of sound in space in its material, sensory, and social constellations. Volny has exhibited in Montréal where she lives and works, as well as elsewhere in Canada and abroad, notably in Europe. Volny is also the founder of Sound and Space Research, an interdisciplinary platform that brings together artists and scientists who explore the issues around listening and the environment.