Aphelia

Marine trumpets, electromagnetic device, raspberry, 200 x 30 x 15 cm, 2024

Violin maker: Philippe Berne
Computer design: Cyrille Henry
Sound composition in collaboration with Nicolas Montgermont

Inspired by marine trumpets, these 16th-century instruments were played with a bow. Here, each string produces a note using an electromagnet. Distributed across three instruments, these strings number five, as in the first Pythagorean scale.
Pythagoras also originated the theory of the harmony of the spheres, according to which the universe is governed by harmonious numerical ratios, and that the distances between the planets correspond to notes.
Aphelia plays an interpretation that evokes these interplays of wavelengths and frequencies emitted by the planets. The resulting notes are arranged to compose a vibrant and undulating music whose repetitive structure suggests the constant rotation of the stars.