Mehdi Hesamizadeh | Composer, Violist, Sound Artist
My practice as a composer and player is inseparable from my exploration of the relationships between material, form, and sonic behavior through the construction of sound objects, installations, and experimental instruments. Working primarily with wood, recycled materials and salvaged instrument parts, I build structures that function both as sound-producing bodies and as spatial elements. Although I have never received formal training in woodworking, my passion for working with wood has grown from a childhood hobby into a lifelong artistic pursuit. As a child, I began by experimenting with a fretsaw, crafting simple wood mosaics and marquetry, and later moved into carving. I began exploring building musical instruments and sound objects when at 21 I decided to redesign my viola. Originally constructed using standard forms and materials, this instrument gradually evolved into a more personal and non-traditional structure as I made changes to its body. Observing the transformation of the instrument was pivotal for the development of my compositional approach that considers form, sound and tuning systems as interdependent rather than fixed. It also led me to a deeper engagement with historical and alternative tuning systems and their cultural and perceptual implications. My sound art practice also sparked an interest in architecture and space. I consider each object an architectural entity, a constructed body that shapes resonance, projection, and the movement of sound. And I likewise consider each object as a body in space that carries the potential to shape its surroundings and to be shaped by them in return. The resulting works range from playable sound objects and experimental instruments to sculptural forms and installations. Whether activated through performance or encountered in space, they operate between instrument, object and environment, each carrying a specific logic of sound, structure and intention.












