About

The starting point was the interdisciplinary research project Alpine Networks of Connectedness on rural Alpine ropeways in the Schächen valley (Central Switzerland). This collaboration of the Hochschule für Musik Basel FHNW and the Urner Institut Kulturen der Alpen was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (2020–2022).

Here, the composer and music researcher Michel Roth, together with cultural scientists and sociologists, explored the performance of this complex network of ropes across days and seasons, including acoustic methods: To this end, the Hochschule für Technik FHNW developed the Seilsender ("rope transmitter"), a mobile recording device that allows rope oscillations to be streamed and recorded live over the Internet (open source hardware), funded by Pro Helvetia.

The sound world discovered has made international headlines and attracted both artistic and scientific interest: the spontaneous resonances of the ropes reveal an amazing diversity and fascinating processes that reflect the complex changes in their environment. Impressively enough, the locals know and reflect about this "singing" of the ropes and use it, for example, to forecast the weather.

In the hybrid book publication Singende Seile ("Singing Ropes") at bildfluss-Verlag and linked to this website via QR codes, the research results were published in 2023 (open access). In addition, the still growing sound library is available here to all users interested in artistic or scientific research.

Photos by Lars Bachmann

Michel Roth

Michel Roth is Professor of Composition and Artistic Research at the Hochschule für Musik Basel FHNW. Many stage and studio productions document his work. In addition, he researches in the fields of Game Theory and Musical Indeterminacy (dissertation at the University of Basel), Collaborative Art (Dieter Roth and the group "Selten gehörte Musik"), Organology (contemporary playing techniques) and Alpine Acoustic Ecology ("Rope Singing").

Photos by Christof Hirtler