Improvisation for Two Altered Telephones

Julie Adler and Andrew Bucksbarg
California Institute of the Arts (1999)

The telephones for this piece were altered by adding an AM/FM radio circuit to the phone interface. The radio circuit produces sound when its speaker output is fed back into the circuit at various points and in varying degrees. The resulting sound is controlled through the phone keypad and a few added knobs (variable resisters). The mouthpiece is also soldered into the circuit and the vocalizations (or air pressure) become amplified and filtered by the radio circuit.

Julie Adler and I met to learn the perimeters of the phones and to work through strategies for improvisation. My desire was to juxtapose common body technique/instrumental actions and vocalization using the ordinary action of the telephone. As we improvised, we moved through actions such as picking up the receiver, dialing, talking, and hanging up. We also explored new possibilities the altered phone instruments offered.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8cetH5zdqY