((Music about…)) Sonic Bed

When I think about bed that described as the phrase “sonic”, I would first imagine it has some “fast” quality, and it might take me to some outer space or brings about that kind of experience. However it wasn’t like that at all.

It ends up with a scene quite peaceful and comfortable as shown above. As for me, I found it uncomfortable (it just feel funny when lying there by myself and my colleagues around watching me once a while…) at first. However as the longer I’ve lied there, I feel more enjoyable. Sonic Bed, made by artist Kaffe Matthews, successfully delivers its purpose of providing weird and usual sound through an every-day furniture. Most worth mention is that audience could actually “feel the bass” through their spin by experiencing the vibration.

The idea of Sonic Bed is to play the music not for audience’s ears but for their bodies, thus extending sound to a broader attribute. Her work links together with human body, space, and time, in a way she had made music “tangible” as well. To dig a little bit more into it, Kaffe Matthews has been working on the area of sound art since about 1990. Previous pieces including Sonic armchairs, and Sonic bed genesis were all about her long-time interest for finding to make new musical structural patterns as well as to open doors for a wider appreciation of new experiences.

We can also track back background of Sonic Bed to John Cage or Alvin Lucier, for they are pioneers who think deeply of the performance of sound. 4’33” and “I am sitting in the room” are their most famous work, which considered new ways sound could be demonstrated. They’ve also focused on how sound could effect or the interrelationship between space, the objects, and human experience sound could be.

Sonic Bed reminds me of the massage chair I used to see quite a lot back in Taiwan, and how relaxed and delightful while sitting on one of the chair. Maybe the artist is trying to remind audience of thinking about how the sound could be perceived in a different way, by doing open research and public testing to make useful and accessible musical instruments. Sonic Bed not only located in London, but in Shanghai and Taipei as well. Each bed is uniquely made along with local team in the museum.

Finally to my MA colleague especially, I would also like to mention that the control of sound and vibration of Sonic Bed is made by Kaffe Matthews’ partner, also our tutor David Muth with Max/MSP and Java patches. Visit also Mobile House, one of the previous work was there. Mobile House is an evolving stretches to accommodate the day to day living equipments.