BORA: BORA (2024–ongoing) is an immersive sound installation by Zhao Zhou that investigates air as a sculptural and acoustic medium. The work consists of 96 modified subwoofers housed in transparent plexiglass enclosures and arranged within a tunnel of aluminum frames.
Each unit is driven by custom PCBs and Teensy microcontrollers. The subwoofers are fitted with 3D-printed cones, enabling the controlled generation of air vortexes and low-frequency turbulence. Rather than producing a stable musical composition, the system operates as a fluctuating pressure field.
As visitors move through the structure (approx. 3000 × 4000 × 2200 mm, variable), they encounter shifting zones of vibration and airflow. Sound resists clear localization. Air currents are felt across the body, redistributing perceptual emphasis from vision to touch and hearing.
Installed, among other venues, at Schemerlicht Festival in Nijmegen (NL), the project constructs what the artist describes as a “sensory whitespace”: a temporary withdrawal from visually dominant environments in favor of embodied listening. The installation functions simultaneously as architecture, instrument, and atmospheric system.
BORA: BORA received an Honorary Mention in the Digital Musics & Sound Art category at the 2025 edition of the Prix Ars Electronica.
Project Info
Artist: Zhao Zhou
Year: 2024–ongoing
Concept, Design & Production: Zhao Zhou
Sound Design: Mint Park
Embedded Programming: Nathan Marcus
Mentorship: Zalán Szakács
Documentation: Riccardo De Vecchi, Ira Grünberger
Medium: Custom PCB, Teensy microcontrollers, modified subwoofers with 3D-printed cones, plexiglass, aluminum, stainless steel
Dimensions: Variable, approx. 3000 × 4000 × 2200 mm
Image Credit: Riccardo De Vecchi and Ira Grünberger (Schemerlicht Festival, Nijmegen, NL)
