I initiated and led Infrasonic, project which was awarded
funding from the SciArt Consortium. To delve into the curious world of
infrasound, I put together a team of experimental psychologists,
acoustic consultants, composers, a visual artist and a pianist. Our aim
was explore some tantalising claims about infrasound and put them under
scientific scrutiny. Of particular interest were its reputed emotional
effects. Infrasound is used in sacred music, for instance during
cathedral organ recitals, and there is debate about why it’s used. Some
people say it adds a sense of awe to the music – it puts a shiver down
your spine. Others say that giant infrasonic organ pipes are nothing
more than ‘an expensive way to make a draught’. Stranger still,
infrasound has also been detected at some ostensibly haunted sites (see
Vic Tandy, 1998) where it may also be making people feel very uneasy.
According to Tandy, even when infrasound comes from a mundane source,
such as a faulty ceiling fan, it can give people such strange
sensations, it might lead them to think they’ve been haunted. This was
enough information to encourage us all to unleash infrasound on an
audience.
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