Tension is a resonant system. It exists between the two poles of pull and resistance, control and letting go. Underlying systems are shaped by physical force, inner tension or narrative contradiction. When understood as a musical instrument, tension is less a tool than a space of relationships. Rather than creating harmony in the classical sense, it creates a web of influences – a collective sound field that is constantly rearranging itself.

The interactive sound installation Spannung is a 3.20-metre installation consisting of tightly stretched fabric belts that can be used to trigger and modulate the integrated sound generation. These sounds are generated using SuperCollider on a Bela board and played back through embedded speakers. The installation can also provide data in MIDI format and connect to a computer.

Spannung was first exhibited during "Die Spannung steigt" at the Medienwerkstatt Wien. It was used for live performances and recordings with Oneka von Schrader and Zosia Hołubowska. The exhibition was accompanied by a text by Gabriela Gordillo (see below).

2026
Fabrik belts, magnet-based sensors, speakers, metal frame, Bela Mini board and custom SuperCollider sound generation

Spannung at Medienwerkstatt Wien © Jens Vetter

Background

The concept for the installation Spannung was developed in 2015 during my studies at Interface Cultures master program in Linz. Thanks Stephan Popella who made the perfect sketch back then. 11 years later I finally found the perfect room - this installation had to be build for the exhibition at Medienwerkstatt Wien! Thanks to Elisa Unger who made the re-enactment photo in 2026.

© Stephan Popella,  Elisa Unger

"Die Spannung Steigt" at Medienwerkstatt Wien

The interactive sound installation Spannung was first shown during the exhibition Die Spannung steigt at Medienwerkstatt in March 2026. It was accompanied by the photographic series Risse and the video-based work Dialog.

Dialog (2026), an audio-reactive video installation that was made by using a version of Spannung.

part of the photographic series Risse (2026) by Jens Vetter.
more info here: foto.jensvetter.de

Development

The installation Spannung was developed from the ground by developing the interaction design with fabric belts, magnet-based sensors, custom metal buckles, CNC drilling, 3D printing, etc. The metal frame, speaker system and circuit design is handmade and optimized for performative use.

Development process of Spannung including 3D modeling and manufacturing (2026).

- - -
the exhibition was accompanied by this text by Gabriela Gordillo

DIE SPANNUNG STEIGT
Text by Gabriela Gordillo, PDF

When expectations are there, tension is the potential difference between now and then; between the cause and the event; between our urgency and uncertainty. Tension sets a tone, and predisposes a mood for the upcoming: high expectations lay behind the words looking forward.

Tension rising in a scenario of boiling probabilities becomes an elongated threshold. Its liminality challenges the possibility of collapse, which illustrates in the phenomenon of feedback. In the words of Eliane Radigue, “(w)ith feedback, you have to walk this invisible line, this slight movement of the microphone (too close and everything blows up, too far and it dies out). With the right distance, the right gesture I was able to generate sustained gently vibrating and undulating sounds.” (1) In this setting, tension comes from the risk of things breaking or disappearing, two negations of their present state. However, she also mentions the range, in which is possible to creatively explore the in-between.

In the exhibition Die Spannung Steigt a structure, composed by a series of black bands that go from floor to ceiling, stands in the middle of the room. Integrated to the architecture of the space, the work Spannung, appears silent, static, yet porous. Tension is part of its translucid appearance but also its internal construct: the stretched bands, attached to opposite sides, can be individually pulled to create sound. This gesture allows the exploration of variations of sustain and release, that can diversify through collective participation. Soon, it reveals as an instrument that is possible to trespass, bend and tweak. In the opposite side of the room, the video installation Dialog shows the artist playing a similar interface. Acting as a mirror in a negative space, it holds the essence of the instrument, showing its principle from a different temporality.

In his work, Jens Vetter has been exploring the concept of tension through elasticity. In previous pieces, such as Homo Restis and Netz 2.0, these opposing forces converge in designs that resist the pressure applied by participants. Seemingly defined, the deceptive shapes are designed to be transformed, within the safe framework of play. The character of this works turns to be strongly reactive, sensitive and unpredictable.

Elasticity is defined as „the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation“ (2). When the elastic limit is exceeded the material undergoes an irreversible change. The series of photos entitled Risse reveals materials through traces of decay, corruption, disintegration or physical stress. They depict the aftermath of an event or maintained conditions over time, the trespassed threshold that shifts one thing into another, by its perceivable difference. In this process, a pattern emerges while a past state erases. Addressing long temporalities, these images show tension in the material transformation, in an urban context.

Through his use of architectural space, participatory approach and collaborations surrounding the exhibition, Vetter's work invites us to consider a broader context for variations in tension. This wide-angle view brings us back to the choreography of everyday life, causality of events, and the emergent melodies of shape-bending. A playful approach to tension, brings us to the possibility of release, Entspannung. To breath, deflate, channel the excess of pressure that becomes paralyzing, becoming resilient towards the tensions that will keep rising.

1. Radigue, Eliane, Time is of no importance in Spectres, Composing  Listening, compiled by François Bonnet, Shelter-Press, 2019
2. „elasticity“ at Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com (retrieved March 2026)