Ulla Rauter (Vienna Neustadt, 1980) studied Transmedia Art at the University of Applied Arts of Vienna.
She works at the intersection of sound art, fine arts and music performance. One main field of her work is the development of experimental electronic sound devices and instruments, translating physical data into electronic sounds. Her sensor-based electronic music instruments have been shown internationally in solo performances or as objects in exhibitions.
As an artist she participated in the PEEK Project Digital Synesthesia (2013-2016) and developed her work Sound Calligraphy in a three-years process of arts-based research. As founder and curator of the annual sound art show Sound Manifestos, she has a comprehensive knowledge of the international contemporary sound art scene.
Since 2013 she has been a lecturer for Digital Sound and Voice at the Department of Digital Art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, where she teaches Digital Sound Processing and Technologies for Interactive Sound Installation.
Works on display
Glissando, 2007
violin bow, copper chords, electronics, wooden case, video of performance
Glissando (2007) is a violin bow strung with copper cords that produces tones when bowed on the skin. Being a conductor by nature, the skin becomes the surface for the creation of sounds—an electro-dermal interface—the most sensitive part of the instrument. Due to the skin conductance reactions, there is a limit to regulating the modulation of sounds. Consequently, the musician’s control of the instrument depends on her ability to control her own body and its affective reactions. Playing on the skin is also a way of scanning one’s body and ultimately an interaction with oneself.
Rubato, 2015
metronome, wood, solenoid, microcontroller
Rubato (2015) is a metronome equipped with a solenoid that beats the changing rhythm of the heart of the artist while she’s listening to music. The heartbeat during a certain piece of music forms the tempo track of the metronome. This metronome does not indicate the correct playing time of a song according to precise and repeatable parameters, but it ‘tunes in’ to the heartbeat of the artists influenced by musical listening.
