Mosquito Harmonizer (2022-23)

The ad for the Mosquito MK4 anti-loitering device begins with: “Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure in their own community and the right to peace and quiet within their own homes, but thanks to the intimidating nature of loitering and vandalism, this is unfortunately not always the case.” Mosquito MK4 is a sound device designed to repel unwanted human presence. It emits high-frequency sound, which is especially uncomfortable for teenagers. It is often installed by private property owners, businesses, and law enforcement organizations worldwide to “solve their loitering problems as quickly as possible.”

Mosquito Harmonizer is a musical device designed to respond to the frequencies emitted by Mosquito MK4. It can be connected to headphones and carried in a pocket or set up with a mobile speaker for workshops. When triggered by sound within the calibrated frequency range, Mosquito Harmonizer plays a composed set of tones in rhythm with what it hears from Mosquito MK4. As the device harmonizes with its industrial counterpart, a strange duet emerges. The sound piece generated by the Harmonizer simultaneously muffles the effect of its industrial counterpart and points at the quiet violence of its politics. Mosquito Harmonizer was commissioned for the 2022 group exhibition There is no party so noisy as the one you’re not invited to at the Tent Gallery in Amsterdam and a series of workshops led by Angeliki Diakrousi as part of the exhibition program.

A project by MAYB Studio in collaboration with Angeliki Diakrousi.

MITCHELL AKIYAMA

MITCHELL
AKIYAMA