The Dark Side of The Cell is an audio-visual event staged by media artist Anne Niemetz and nano-scientist Andrew Pelling that utilizes a recent discovery within nano-biotechnology: cellular sounds.

A special instrument called Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is being used to extract sounds from yeast cells thousands of times thinner than a hair. Comparable to a record needle “feeling” the bumps in a groove on a record, the AFM 'feels' oscillations taking place at the membrane of a cell and the electrical signals can then be amplified and distributed by speakers.

Manipulating the cell with chemicals will result in a change of oscillation. Isopropanol will change a 'singing cell' into a 'screaming cell' and a chemical such as sodium azide will kill the cell, causing the emitted frequency to die away, leaving only noise.

• www.darksideofcell.info • www.npr.org