concept drawing by Becs Andrews
section concept drawing by Becs Andrews
section of lens holder by Becs Andrews
side view of lens holder by Becs Andrews
design drawing of lens holder by Becs Andrews

Phase Revival: An Optical Harmonica

Phase Revival: An Optical Harmonica is a hypnotic, kinetic installation using swinging pendulums, lenses and light to explore the effects of phase and oscillation.

“Beautifully simple and complex at the same time”

Audience Member

Transfixing patterns reveal themselves as time elapses, showing layer upon layer of detail within the confines of a beautifully simple structure, accompanied by an exquisite, mathematically-devised score

“An astonishing fusion of art and science, from some of the most exciting creative practitioners in the field”

Opera North


“One of the best expanded/para-cinematic works I’ve seen”

Audience Member

‘The rhythms and pitches used in the sound fabric are derived from the motion of the 12 pendulums. The frequencies of the pendulum movements are related in the same way as the pitches of the harmonic series, and here they are transposed up 8 octaves (2 to the power of 8) into the audible frequency spectrum. This gives us a fundamental pitch of 68.25 Hz for pendulum 12 (the one with the longest string) and the 11 harmonics above’ Jon Hughes, composer

“Mesmerising, hypnotic and emotional”

Audience Member

‘In the installation, you are the spectroscopist, observing the oscillations with your eyes, with light scattered from the optical harmonica, on a timescale a billion, billion times slower than that of a molecule. Patterns and structures reveal themselves as time elapses, showing layer upon layer of detail, hidden within a seemingly simple structure’ Mike Nix, Physical Chemist

“Wonderful, beautiful and moving”

Audience Member

Phase Revival: An Optical Harmonica has been seen by over 6000 people in Leeds to date and is available to tour. Contact Becs for more details.

Downloadable PDF about the project