‘Ur-Geräusch’ (Primal Sound) is the title of an essay by poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke, which was published in 1919 and lent its name to this adapted and remodeled sound installation. In the text Rilke narrates - in a rather poetic abstract way - about the phonograph, which was invented almost 140 years ago as a precursor of the record player and was the first device capable of reproducing sound. The work is conceived as an ongoing series whereby the text is performed by actors and actresses of all kinds and nationalities. Paralleling this technical innovation, the recordings are transformed into ‘sonographs’ - visualized images of the voices - and gathered in a ongoing collection.
Performed by Ann Cotten