Liquid Vibrations: 'Wet Sounds,' The Underwater Sound Art Installation

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Bringing us right back to the days of playing "telephone" in public pools, curator-composer Joel Cahen is having us see sounds in a whole new way. "Wet Sounds," his underwater sound installation, has been touring swimming pools across Europe since 2008 (and will tour England and France this month), treating swimmers to an live acoustic experience The Guardian called "astonishingly immediate, inescapable." Immersive doesn't even begin to cover it.

From the Wet Sounds website: "Wet Sounds effectively creates three sound spaces in the physical space of the swimming pool. One inside the water, one outside the water and one a merger of the two as the listener floats on the surface of the water. These three distinct sound spaces are chosen by the listeners as they move in and out of the water. The three sound spaces are used to convey parallel narratives, musical and literal."

The installation also features a strong outreach to children with special needs and the hard of hearing, who can still enjoy the installation through vibrations.

Below, an intimate underwater mix from Wet Sounds:

Cahen, who often works under the monniker Newtoy, has been curating these experimental listening sessions with live performances from a number of notable sound artists, including legendary composer Pierre Henry, and Henry Collins, experimental drum'n'bass titan formerly known as DJ Shitmat. No word yet on when Wet Sounds will reach the USA, but we're anxiously awaiting the moment any dip in a body of water won't make us honorary members of the Polar Bear Club.

h/t Cyland.org