Wavescape is a site-specific sound installation originally conceived for the Wilhelminapier, next to the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. It translates the underwater sound space into an audible acoustic environment.

Twenty-four hydrophones (underwater microphones) are placed in a horizontal line in the water. Each hydrophone is connected to its own speaker, resulting in twenty-four speakers positioned along the water’s edge. Together, they create a live reproduction of the underwater sound space.

The result has a strong sensation of presence and feels almost touchable. From the water side, you listen into the underwater space that continues onto land. The soundscape reveals an extraordinary sense of depth and width.

The speed of sound underwater is almost five times faster than the speed of sound in air. This difference creates opportunities for interesting interferences between the two media. The installation is based on the principle of recording and reproducing wavefronts, a principle explored more extensively in A World Beyond the Loudspeaker and Impuls #6.