'The Organ' is a new interactive audio installation by Jayne Dent commissioned by Sonic Arts Week, inspired by the development and use of the organ as an instrument and the technological and spiritual history of Middlesbrough. It spans old worlds and new, inviting players to not only experiment with sound and think about their direct influence on their present soundscape, but to also consider how this place may have sounded in the past and how it may sound in the future.

The shapes, colour and material choices are inspired by heraldic tradition and religious folk art; church kneelers, banners and wood panel paintings. Bold colours evoke the communal recreational spaces in which organs have traditionally been used (funfairs, cinemas and theatrical performance, to name a few) as well as spiritual meeting places. It is an instrument associated with shared experiences, and this installation is similarly intended as a place to come together and play or listen. This organ, while possible to play alone, is designed to be too big for one player - collaboration is necessary to reach both ends of the 'keyboard' at once.

The sounds generated by the organ are a mixture of pure sine tones and choral vocalisations; a nod the spiritual and sacred. These are merged with recordings of electromagnetic frequencies taken from around Middlesbrough, which are normally inaudible to the human ear but always around us, meaning that the electricity of the city is woven through the soundscape. This comes full circle when you interact with the work: the electrical signals in our bodies is what triggers the changes in sound, as the conductive fabric sends a signal to the instrument when it comes into contact with skin.

Exhibited at Pineapple Black for Sonic Arts Week ‘24, Newcastle, 2024