CYEMA by TYRYX
CYEMA is an acoustic instrument developed from salvaged iron rods, tuned to specific frequencies. Designed for interaction with multi-channel systems and responsive architectural settings, the instrument generates complex resonant tones when struck or bowed. These sounds reveal dense overtone structures and a distinctive reverse-chord configuration. This EP documents the formative stages of CYEMA as both instrument and sonic methodology. The recordings are formed by spatial acoustics and psychoacoustic conditions, processed through patch-based synthesis and custom Pure Data systems to manipulate frequency and spatial diffusion in real time. Rather than removing technical artefacts, the recordings retain the irregularities of contact microphones, unstable textures, and unpredictable resonances. These elements reflect the physical properties of the instrument and contribute to an ongoing inquiry into acoustic behaviour.
The name CYEMA refers to the electric pulse of an eel, used as a metaphor for the charged vibrational force that animates the instrument. This research informed the development of TYRYX, a subsequent project by Florence To that continues their investigation into sonic materiality and mechanised resonance through friction-driven systems and mechanically controlled motion.
Credits
Florence To
License
All rights reserved.
TYRYX is a transdisciplinary project by Florence To using self-built instruments, modular synthesis, and field recordings. It explores sound as vibration essential to ecosystems through mapping syntactical structures, rethinking ecological listening and the interconnected relationships between organisms and their environments.