Skip to content
A Glossary of Feelings Expressed by Sound, by Martin Kersels (Participatory Sound Project)

MARTIN KERSELS 
Kouros & Me #1
2000
Photograph
47-3/8 x 71-3/8 inches (paper); 53-¼ x 77 inches (frame)

In response to the wide range of emotions many of us experience lately, artist Martin Kersels is developing a glossary of feelings expressed through sound. Created using the body, quotidian objects, and digital augmentation, this project builds on Kersels’ interest in the audio of the everyday. As social distancing and digital communication challenge our ability to read visual cues, Kersels clues us into the ways our ears enable comprehension and decode the feelings of others.

In this first of two phases, Kersels shares sound expressions of six emotions. For Phase 2, you're invited to add to the glossary by sending us sounds that reflect each emotion by October 16. RSVP to be emailed a reminder a few days before the deadline, along with the form for submissions to participate. 

This project is supported in part the National Arts and Disability Center at the University of California, Los Angeles and Ability Central.