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2011
2010 |
Still
Still depicts a computer-generated scenario in which a collection of geometric objects evolve towards a state of equilibrium. The accompanying audio track is obtained by direct translation of the scene into sound frequencies. As the film progresses, the unorganised geometry evolves into a circle, causing radical changes in sound. After some time a perfect circle is obtained, producing its own sound texture. By reassembling this way, all objects in the scene have became parts of a fixed, regular structure, within which movement has nearly stopped; yet the sound that radiates from this figure maintains a changing, unpredictable quality. Intended as a study on the intrinsic characteristics of sound, this film questions the reversibility of image-to-sound translations, as they were envisioned by early intermedia aesthetics.
Description
The work Description is as series of self-edited books presenting the names and computed values of sound descriptors for different songs. Sound descriptors are measures used to quantify the characteristics of audio signals. They can be used for automatic classification of a song, or to recommand similar music to listeners. The list of descriptor values is the digital ID of the song, providing a quantitative description that is substituted to the music in information-processing systems. Each book from the Description series is titled after the song from which the substitutive descriptor values have been computed. Whereas the numerical figures will likely remain opaque to the viewer, these song titles are enough to make one think of melodies and stories - revealing aspects of the song that exist outside its description.
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Imprint
Imprint is a series of digitally-produced figures, obtained by analysing a single sound recording and processing the results. Theses pictures can be seen as computer-enhanced realizations of the ‘intermedia’ concept, which was introduced in the 1920s by László Moholy-Nagy. In contrast with the separate association of sound and image, this idea refers to the physical transformation of one medium to another by electrical means. This idea of direct transformation is at the basis of the work, which is intended as a study of the intrinsic visual qualities of sound. Starting with the selection of an audio recording, the process is based on the digital analysis of its sonic characteristics, which are translated into drawings by a custom software. While being only composed of straight lines, the resulting forms show unexpected graphic qualities that can be thought of as different aspects of the visual structure of the sound.
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I Remember Nothing
I Remember Nothing is a live audio/video performance, named after the last track of Joy Division’s 1979 album Unknown Pleasures. Having sold poorly upon release, the album reached greater audiences in 1980 due to the success of the single Love Will Tear Us Apart. It eventually had a lasting influence on late 20th century popular music. Interestingly, the cover design (by Peter Saville) has become as recognizable as the music itself. Though extracted from an edition of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, it seems to describe the music with scientific precision - as if it was generated by sound itself. The performance offers a variety of recompositions of the musical and visual aspects of Unknown Pleasures. The totality of the audio material found on the album is extracted and reassembled on a microscopic level into layers of guitars, bass and glitches that retain their original sonic character. This material is recombined during a live improvisation. An audio-reactive video is projected simultaneously, recreating variations of the original cover art through spectral analysis of the sound output. The theme of appropriation is central in the performance - how a pop icon can be reinvented through personal experiences and interpretations, and how it allows one to express them.
Black Materials
Black Materials consists in a conference and an audio performance. Both were presented at the École Supérieure d'Arts de Rueil-Malmaison in November 2010, on a proposal by Sébastien Rémy. Following a historical approach, the conference illustrated examples of the aesthetic preoccupations found in Black Metal-related or inspired practices: music-making, cover illustration, graphic design and typography, contemporary art. The following audio performance was based on Bathory's first album (Bathory, 1984), one of the style’s earliest recordings. In this work, each track of the album is digitally processed, allowing granular recomposition of the music. This operation is used to produce slowly changing layers of sound. The audio performance is the live mixing process of this medium, whose nature favors slow fade-ins and fade-outs, and moderate use of equalization. The ambient-like music created during the audio performance thus transfers the Black Metal recording to a different musical context, while maintaining its granulosity and raw textural qualities. This process questions the use of Black Metal as a material for producing works in other artistic fields. |
