Apparatum
- PanGenerator

Apparatum is an interactive installation, exploring to the heritage of the Polish Radio Experimental Studio. The installation’s spatial form is inspired by the aesthetics typical of the Black Room (the Studio’s seat), designed by Oskar Hansen. The minimalism and specific construction solutions refer directly to Hansen’s project and the aesthetics of the technical equipment of those times, which allowed for the creation of electroacoustic music. 

From a functional side, the object draw on the output of one of the composers active in the Polish Radio Experimental Studio, Bogusław Schaeffer, especially his Electronic Music Symphony. A characteristic element of that composition was the use of a graphic notation, in which each symbol was assigned a particular timbre as well as indications for the sound engineer. PanGenerator took Schaeffer’s original idea as a starting point and translated it into interactive form, allowing everyone to compose their own electroacoustic work, using an intuitive touch interface. The symbols allude to Schaeffer’s original notation, arranged within an interactive graphic score and transformed into instructions that determine the work of electromechanic, fully analogue sound generators. These generators use both the Experimental Studio’s key medium, magnetic tape, as well as solutions allowing for analogue sound creation using movable optical elements. 

Thanks to the combination of a digital interface and analogue character of sound generators, we have been able to create a situation where the atmosphere and ideas of the Polish Radio Experimental Studio can be presented in a modern, approachable way to a wide audience.