Adam Foxwell & Pierluigi Pompei

Studio Vocum

Audio system maker

Sound and vision

Ceramic artist Pierluigi ‘sees’ colours when hearing music
Adam has 25 years of experience in acoustic design
Together, they make products that fuse colour and sound

Italian ceramic artist Pierluigi Pompei has synaesthesia, a phenomenon that causes sensory crossovers, making him ‘see’ colours when he hears music. It triggered him to join forces with American acoustician Adam Foxwell. Together, they design products and installations which fuse colour and sound. The first creation of Amsterdam-based Studio Vocum is a series of ceramic high-fidelity loudspeakers based on synesthetic note-timbre-colour combinations. “Originally a sculptor, I acquired additional skills to mix art, design, craft and audio,” says Pierluigi. In Adam, he has found a partner with 25 years of experience in acoustic design. Adam is inspired by the emotional force of sound. “Music can shake the soul,” he says. He is also fascinated by the field of wave physics. “It is the cornerstone of sound, but also of light, the cosmos and the fabric of matter.”

Interview

Pierluigi, what do you love most about your creative process?: We have a saying in Italian: ‘da cosa nasce cosa’, which means that ‘one thing leads to another’. That is exactly what I love most about my work. Being surprised by a succession of phenomena and riding that wave for successful outcomes.
Could your craft be considered in danger?: Fortunately, there is a trend to revalue craftsmanship and materials that are genuine and closer to the environment around us. Everything is of course integrated with new technologies, but I do not see anything being threatened in that.
What about you, Adam, do you think digital tools may threaten your craft?: They cause a shift in the role of acoustic specialists, but the craft is actually thriving. The sweeping changes in how we consume music and audio, our tolerance to noise and our appreciation of sound quality are all signs that there will only be an increase in demand.
What does ‘well made’ mean to you?: Acoustic design is all about control of fluids. Shaping the behaviour of fluids around structures to produce perfectly clear, undistorted sound.

Adam Foxwell & Pierluigi Pompei are master artisans: they began their career in 1999 and they started teaching in 2003