RONDZANG (2021) is an interactive sound installation using a tape machine, an amplifier, speakers and a microphone. The tape moves in a roughly 8 meter long loop, which translates to about 45 seconds of sound. With a delay, the microphone in the room records onto the tape, creating a slowly evolving feedback loop.

Throughout the process over a couple of weeks, I iterated with different types of microphones, lengths and types of tape and forms of the installation. It was a constant balancing game between audible feedback - the classic, high pitched ringing - and a feedback that would be too slow, causing the soundscape to change too little to notice.

In the final installation, a new tape would take around 20 minutes to go from completely silent to a mix of static, sounds of the room, and the voices of viewers. The title, RONDZANG, is the Dutch word for feedback and literally translates to ‘singing around’ or ‘song in a circle’. In a quiet room, the installation is lonely - it sings to itself, transforming its noise into a lullaby. In a more crowded space, it feeds on the voices of viewers to make them their own.

tape machine, hi-fi installation, mixer, microphone