Isabella Rahme

ESSENCE, was commissioned by Backstage Music for their event “Clarity Engine” on 6 November 2022.

The work takes a series of objects and creates physical barriers around them with materials like bubble wrap, preventing the audience from being able to interact with each object directly.

However, as the audience interacts with these external layers the true sounds of the objects emerge like ghosts, and so their “essence” is ultimately heard.

This interactive sound installation consisted of four objects wrapped in bubble wrap; a triangle, a teddy bear, a clock, and an old radio. Each object had a microphone wrapped up with it inside the bubble wrap, that would pick up any sounds that occurred whenever the layers of bubble wrap were interacted with.