Sound Sculptures and Sound Installations in the Evolution of Intermedia Art Forms

Sound sculptures and sound installations are genres within the wide field of sound art, with the sound installation in particular playing a key role. The article at hand first gives an overview on the different, not by any means well-defined notions. I then elaborate on historical prototypes and the development of sound art. Examples created from the 1950s to the 1980s include works by Jean Tinguely (Switzerland), Bernard and François Baschet (France), and Max Henry Neuhaus, Alvin Lucier and Bill Fontana (USA). Following this retrospect, I present contemporary examples, focusing on projects by “bonn hoeren” with works by the Japanese sound artist Akio Suzuki and works by the winners of the only European competition for sound art “sonotopia”, Philipp Hawlitschek (2016) and Nika Schmitt (2018).