The organ is considered the epitome of musical order: an instrument of harmony, controlled breath, and “pure” tone. In Navid Navab’s work “Organism: In Turbulence,” this idea is radically expanded. The starting point is a century-old organ by Montreal instrument maker Casavant, which Navab saved from destruction and transformed into an experimental sound system. The pipes and pneumatic mechanics were modified and expanded with robotic actuators and ecological sensors. The organ now reacts to its surroundings and becomes part of a cybernetic cycle of air, material, and information. Navab thus continues a tradition in which machines are no longer just instruments, but become systems that can hear and react. Artists such as Nicolas Schöffer and Gordon Pask were already experimenting with such feedback loops between environment, technology, and sound in the 1960s.

Navab develops this idea into a living organism. The organ no longer sounds disciplined and monumental, but turbulent, rushing, and full of unstable overtones. The instrument leaves the sacred space of its history and becomes an open sound laboratory. Navid Navab was born in Tehran and lives in Montreal. As a musician, composer, and researcher, Navab moves between art, science, and experimental instrument making. For “Organism,” Navab and Garnet Willis received the 2025 Prix Ars Electronica award in the Digital Musics & Sound Art category.