Electroactive polymer-based installation by Aernoudt Jacobs, on display at the Im Ersten gallery in Vienna until February 14 COURTESY OF AERNOUDT JACOBSAernoudt Jacobs is a sound artist: his work appeals more to the ears more than the eyes. In his latest installation, now on display at the Im Ersten gallery in Vienna, Jacobs plays with a new technique involving a membrane made of electroactive polymers to modulate the playback of a recording.
“My work is always based on finding ways to [stretch] boundaries with technologies,” says Jacobs, founder and co-director of the Brussels-based sound-art space Overtoon.
Several years ago, Jacobs began working with polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), a foil that can serve as the loudspeaker for his recordings. He noticed that as he bent the foil, the sound changed. “I was really fascinated by this phenomenon,” he says. So he began to search for a way to manipulate the foil in a predictable manner, and eventually stumbled across some information on electroactive polymers. Commonly used as an actuator for industrial applications, the polymers deform when exposed to high voltage. The polymers are also under study for their potential in biomimetic applications, serving as a kind of artificial muscle. ...
