"the distance" is an interative sound installation, which generates echo/delay effects according to the transmision time of data in the internet. The installation consists of a listening station including a microphone and a computer interface, where visitors can type in URLs.

For every address given, a virtual sonic room is opened (for example from here until google.com), in which the voice of the visitor or/and the environment sound is channeled. The visitors can hear the sound through headphones, after being delayed and shifted by the transmision time in the internet.

"the distance" reflects the way geographical distance collapses through the use of communication technologies. It makes it possible to interact with the physical structure of the net, using it as a resonant body.

Furthermore, the constant acceleration and deacceleration of the data transmision time causes the virtual sonic rooms to expand and shrink, which generates Doppler-effects. The incoming sound is not only delayed, but pitch-shifted, giving the impression of being constantly accelerated and deaccelerated. It is possible to type in more than one URL, opening several virtual rooms at once, which get overlayed and interact with the site of the installation. This way, “the distance” turns into a complex musical interface.

The first version of the project added a visualization of the virtual rooms, which has been dropped ever since. The second version concentrates on the sonic experience.