Listening to Telharmonium 2.0 by Xavier Ménard and Camille St-Amand: Electromechanical Technologies in the Exhibition Space
This article examines the way the sound art installation Telharmonium 2.0 (2019), by Xavier Ménard and Camille St-Amand, redefines our relationship with electromechanical technologies, through the experience of listening to the artwork in its exhibition space. Based on an analysis that includes the artists’ perspective on the artwork and a description of the installation materials and the exhibition experience, this article suggests that Telharmonium 2.0 revisits interactions between humans and machines from two angles: on the one hand, the artists exploit the musical potential of the electromechanical motor’s noise; on the other hand, the visitor reassesses this musicality during the listening experience. This leads to the emergence of questions regarding the aestheticization of this mechanism in the field of sound art.