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André Décosterd & Michel Décosterd
ArtistsAndré and Michel Décosterd are Swiss artists and the founders of Cod.Act, an artistic duo established in 1997. Their work brings together music, visual arts, architecture and engineering, exploring the relationship between sound, movement and machines. André Décosterd (born in 1967) is a musician and composer who specialises in computer programming for musical applications and algorithmic composition. Michel Décosterd (born in 1969) is an architect and visual artist whose practice focuses on kinetic sculptures and the construction of sound-producing machines. Together, they create performances and interactive installations in which mechanical systems become instruments for generating sound and movement. Their work has received several international awards, including the Golden Nica at Ars Electronica in 2013 and the Swiss Grand Award for Music in 2019.
Pendulum Choir is a performance for nine a cappella singers and eighteen hydraulic actuators. Each performer stands on an articulated platform that tilts forwards, backwards and sideways, turning the choir into a moving mechanical structure. The movements are synchronised with the music, creating a direct relationship between the singers’ physical positions and their vocal expression. Inspired by the mechanics of breathing, the installation expands and contracts like a giant lung. As the platforms impose different physical constraints on the performers, their voices change in tone, intensity and texture. The result is a hybrid performance in which the human body, mechanical movement and choral music operate as parts of a single expressive system.
