Lukas Kühne’s Tvísöngur: Sculpture for a Concrete, Uncompressed Voice

This article draws from fieldwork and investigates the site-specific sound sculpture Tvísöngur (2012), conceived by sculptor Lukas Kühne. Located on the mountainside in Seyðisfjörður, Northeast Iceland, Tvísöngur—also known as the ‘singing’ sculpture—is made from five interconnected domes, each tuned to react to a specific pitch. The sculptural arrangement of the five domes is a direct three-dimensional representation of fifth singing, an ancient vocal practice consisting of a polyphonic chant where two vocalists sing in parallel fifths with voice-crossings at times. The article explores notions of public participation and corporeal engagement and investigates the sculpture’s aural agency and acoustic principles. Tvísöngur operates as a place of passage for a prospective vocal encounter within sculpture. The article establishes how Tvísöngur actively contributes to a sensorial experience of an uncompressed space and voice. This article is derived from Louvel’s thesis and her ongoing research on the interplay of voice with sculpture.