Ultrasonic thermometry sensors (UTS) have been intensively studied in the past to measure temperatures from 2080 K to 3380 K. This sensor, which uses the temperature dependence of the acoustic velocity in materials, was developed for experiments in extreme environments. Its major advantages, which are (a) capability of measuring a temperature profile from multiple sensors on a single probe and (b) measurement near the sensor material melting point, can be of great interest when dealing with on-line monitoring of high-temperature safety tests. Ultrasonic techniques were successfully applied in several severe accident related experiments. With new developments of alternative materials, this instrument may be used in a wide range of experimental areas where robustness and compactness are required. Long-term irradiation experiments of nuclear fuel to extremely high burn-ups could benefit from this previous experience. After an overview of UTS technology, this article summarizes experimental work performed to improve the reliability of these sensors. The various C. Wilkins is working as a consultant (retired from INL). designs, advantages, and drawbacks are outlined and future prospects for long-term high-temperature irradiation experiments are discussed.

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Coined by Russian mathematician and writer Velimir Khlebnikov, the term zaum means beyond mind. It is used to describe experiments in sound symbolism and linguistic creation stemming from Russian Cubo-Futurists of the early 1900s, including the work of poets Alexei Kruchenykh and Vasily Kamensky. This trans-rational language was born out of aesthetic ideas that epitomized a vision of a society to come, one based on the revolutionary fervour of the time. My argument concerns its relevance within a contemporary context of the twenty-first century, in which new aesthetic parameters are being created and defined. I shall develop this thesis by means of material taken from two of the above authors that threads its way through a series of performance projects based on my own practice as research. Questions on the role of zaum in interdisciplinary vocal studies will be outlined and then addressed throughout the course of this journey in a process of analysis from the perspective of my compositional ideas and methodologies. My aim is to reveal the existence of clear evolutionary links between what was essentially a voco-sonic invention and contemporary artistic practices of alterity, multiplicity and fragmentation.

Our paper will describe the creative process of Zaum: Beyond Mind an interactive sound theater performance, and examine the role of improvisation in shaping the piece. Zaum is a modular performance for voice, bandoneon, piano and electronics-integrating both live interactive elements and fixed sounds -with lighting, and video projection. While the creative process included traditional modes of composition, a significant aspect in melding the contribution of two composerseach with a different approach to composition -shares important attributes with improvisation. It is to do with creative listening, adjusting our individual contribution in response to changing contexts, and developing a shared sense of musical pacing and narrative. Improvisation also played a significant role in developing the technological, interactive elements of the piece with a co-evolution of the programming and the performance over a lengthy process of exploration and adjustments. This process, therefore, entails multiple dialogues, musical as well as verbal, between us as a duo and between us and our instruments. On the way we discovered that analytical reflection, despite its connotations of cerebral processes popularly portrayed as in opposition to the spontaneity required in improvisation, played a crucial role in the shaping of the piece.Short video excerpts from performances available at:

The impulse for this essay came about as a direct reaction to reading Freddie Rokem’s contribution in Volume 1 of this journal. Whereas Rokem refers to eavesdropping scenes in plays and philosophical discourse, I shall examine this act within the context of an acoustic mechanical theatre invented by philosopher Athanasius Kircher in the 1600s.The Panacousticon was a system of spiral-shaped funnels hidden within walls that were operated as amplifiers, connecting public spaces to the eavesdropper via ‘talking heads’ or stone busts. An audience witnessing the deeds of Polonius or Orgon in classical theatre was replaced by an auditor of unseen ‘performers’ in the act of conversing. The ‘closet’ in Hamlet was replaced by a stone bust with gaping mouth. Furthermore, Rokem’s discussion of the supernatural as an eavesdropping presence in the same play, finds an echo in Kircher’s acoustic theatre, where the talking busts began to speak as people passed by, creating an uncanny mise-en-scèneof omnipresence.Whilst Kircher performed his conceptual creations through theatrical techniques, his actor-audience was subject to the sonic address of an unknown source. With passing references to natural magic, ventriloquism and automata I shall discuss the convergences that occur between these two perspectives of performer / audience.