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Psy-fidelity
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Battery Operated explore sound weapons with the S-quad project
by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
 You may have
heard of the bowel-movement-inducing, low-end frequencies called “brown
sound,” one of the many possible uses of sound as a weapon. Military
types have been toying with sonic warfare and crowd control for decades,
starting with—get this—muzak.
“It was brought around in 1914 by General Owen Squire,” explains
Wade Walker of the multinational, conceptual, installation art trio
Battery Operated. “It was initially used, in WWI, to up the work
rate of factory workers in the war effort. Previously, sound had been
used on the battlefield in a very overt way. This was the first insidious
step the military took in using sound in a way that wasn’t perceived
by those who heard it.”
With fellow sound guy Tom KZ and video-lady Beewoo, Walker will be in
residency at SAT from May 10–28, doing their own sneaky research
for S-quad, their forthcoming experimental documentary. “It will
be about the way the state and military use sound, starting with muzak
as the first real attempt to control people in a functional, covert
way with sound. From there we go to the other obvious facets, the non-lethal
weapons, the psy-ops, the Tesla conspiracies—so much of this is
conspiracy-based. We’ll never get anything from the military, there’s
so little factual, documented information about what they’re testing—other
than things like Waco.”
If you thought Manuel Noriega had it rough with the Guns N’ Roses
medleys, check out what they hit Koresh and crew with. “Tibetan
chanting, the sound of screaming rabbits, Nancy Sinatra and Christmas
carols—such a weird amalgam. Who sits in a laboratory and thinks
this up? It’s not random, there’s obviously some psychology
behind it.”
Likewise behind B.O.’s M.O., though while Beewoo’s video work
will be visible at SAT over the next few weeks, the trio is still just
formulating the performance aspect of S-quad (it will come to fruition
at their Quebec City residency). “We want to change the dynamic
between audience and those manipulating the sound, producing interfaces
that allow audience participation to meaningfully change the sound.”
Oh, and don’t worry. Walker promises this much: “We won’t
be using low frequencies to make people shit their pants.” :
At SAT from
May 10–28
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