The Voice Pump: An Affectively Engaging Interface for Changing Attachments

The Voice Pump is an air-based interface for attuning to the affective and differential qualities of voices. The machine uses rubber pumps as a way of interacting with digitally recorded sounds; you can “pump up voices”, meaning that you can “blow them up” from low to medium to high pitch, when interacting with the machine, to make them speak. Exploring particular affective qualities of voices through this form of interactionbecomes a way of moving into more general discussions of, for instance, foreigners or refugees in Denmark; in the popular discourse, refugees – or foreigners – are often referred to as a homogenous group of non-individuals, often attributed with general qualities and motives. However, this is not the case at all; it’s a heterogenous coming-together of individuals with different stories, cultural backgrounds and voices. Through their interaction with the Voice Pump, people can attune to this differential.