How IRENE recovers sound from records without a needle
IRENE reads the grooves of fragile recordings with optical equipment and turns those measurements into sound.
Culture
At the Human Library, you talk to a person instead of reading a book
Participants ask questions of people who volunteer as living books. Copenhagen’s Reading Garden closed, and Human Library events continue elsewhere.
Remembering Choi Bul-am, a familiar presence across generations
Choi Bul-am died on October 29. His roles in Chief Inspector and Country Diaries, his work on Korean Cuisine and Dining, and decades of support for children remain part of his legacy.
A small artwork from a former cigarette machine
Art-o-mat converts disused cigarette machines into art dispensers. Each piece needs packaging sized for the mechanism and a clear introduction to its maker.
The small rules inside Arvo Pärt’s Für Alina
Written in 1976, Für Alina pairs a moving melody with notes from a triad. The Arvo Pärt Centre’s commentary and ECM’s recordings reveal both its rules and its flexible duration.
Daphne Oram made music from lines drawn on film
Oramics translated drawn shapes into electronic sound. Daphne Oram developed the experimental instrument with engineers, using film strips to control musical parameters.
Benjamin Franklin made a musical instrument out of glassware
The glass armonica is played by touching rotating glass bowls with wet fingers. Franklin’s 1761 invention turned the sound of a glass into an instrument for melodies and chords.
StoryCorps records the life stories of people close to us
StoryCorps invites people to prepare questions, talk with someone close to them, and record their voice. Preserving a conversation and sharing it publicly are separate choices.
Future Library is growing the trees for its books
Oslo's Future Library collects an unpublished manuscript each year for publication in 2114. The trees that will supply the paper are growing alongside the collection.
A Mario Kart race around the living-room sofa
A camera on a small kart brings the living room onto the game screen. Moving physical gates creates a course, and in-game events change the real kart’s movement.
Music that takes a thousand years to hear in full
Longplayer is designed to avoid repeating the same combination for a thousand years. Sustaining the composition also means enabling future generations to keep it playing.
An album sent into space to introduce Earth
The Voyager Golden Record carries Bach, Chuck Berry, and greetings in many languages. Its grooves hold sound and images for an unknown listener who may never find it.