(meta)sonic narratives

Dear reader,

Thanks to the support of Fonds Podiumkunsten I am happy to share with you the beginning of my new research (meta)sonic narratives. It stems from a long-standing interest in non-audible phenomena and how they are codified as silence or Unsound*.

Over the next few months, I will be posting updates on the research. These may come slightly fragmented, but my goal is to share this process openly with you. For now, I offer a brief description of the conceptual framework I aim to navigate in the coming months.

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While the not-(yet?)-audible is often considered beyond the domain of music, my intention is to approach it compositionally, to investigate how these frequencies can be perceived as possessing an inherent musicality.

Musicality presents itself as a multifaceted concept: a social construct that varies across cultures and individuals; a complex trait shaped by biological and cognitive mechanisms; a quality or state of being musical, encompassing the intrinsic elements that elicit aesthetic appreciation.

Frequencies that exist outside the range of human hearing, remain sonically active, shaping perception, space, and affect. Unsound can therefore still embody inherent musicality, as it carries with it the potential to evoke musical responses. In this sense, musicality is not confined to audible sound but extends into the unheard.

Historically, Unsound has been explored in both musical and political contexts: from infrasound in sonic warfare – where low frequencies impact psychological and bodily states – to film sound design – where sub-bass and ultrasonic layers create tension and subliminal affect. Composing with these silent frequencies shifts sound into bodily perception rather than a purely auditory one.

By adopting a non-cochlear-centric approach, (meta)sonic narratives fosters alternative ways of engaging with musicality beyond traditional auditory hierarchies. Inspired by the perspectives of deaf sound artist Christine Sun Kim – you don't need to be hearing to learn music – (meta)sonic narratives explores a multimodal approach to music.

This practice opens possibilities for a more nuanced inquiry into silence**.

Silence Mindmapping (Ongoing Research)

When considered as an epistemic phenomenon, silence becomes a powerful tool for understanding, reflection, and questioning. Rather than viewing it purely as a lack of sound, I will explore it as a methodology– a way of knowing that exists beyond the confines of conventional language or auditory perception. Silence can therefore create spaces for speculative thinking within human, environmental, and digital contexts, allowing us to engage with the world in ways that are not dominated by anthropocentric perspectives. By helping to deconstruct normative frameworks it can uncover hidden narratives, histories, and identities.

*sound that operates outside the realms of traditional hearing — inaudible frequencies such as infrasound, ultrasound, and other imperceptible waves.

**in its various iterations such as its non-audible presence, its role as absence, its agentic properties and its repressive connotations.