How do our memories transform over time?

Sonic Memory Decomposer, a ceramic-electronic instrument, explores this question through sound. Composed of three interconnected vessels—one that captures voice, one that senses touch and light, and one that holds soil—the instrument records, transforms, and “decomposes” sonic memories.

Visitors are invited to whisper a memory into a cup and listen to it disintegrate over time. With granular synthesis, layered looping, pitch drift, modulated delay, and distortion, older sounds erode as new recordings emerge. The resulting sounds are shaped by human voice, touch, light, time, and soil moisture.

Inspired by my own childhood memory of whispering into a cup, the instrument treats memory as an organic process: distributed across environments, shaped by external forces, and constantly in flux.

Demo

Exhibition

Sonic Memory Decomposer was exhibited in the Winter Demo Day 2025 of Aalto University.

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