Presentation Scenarios
Ideally will be a tabletop type presentation. I want to be able to have it about waist height, so you can lean over and observe the patterns easily. This also needs to be combined with enough distance to mask the peripheral audio leak from the speaker units.
Equipment List:
4 speakers
4 Membranes
Base mounting board for speakers/membranes
Stereo Amp
iPod or Laptop powering audio.
Light.
Revisions
It seems that all the progress I have made so far has been revisions. I discovered after ordering my speakers that I had neglected to identify and deal with a fatal flaw in my planning. I never accounted for amplification of the speakers. This poses a large problem, as I can not feasibly afford the hardware required to make a system of 7 speakers work, all running on independent audio channels. This means that I have had to revise the vision/design for this entire venture. I will now be using 4 speakers instead of 7, two on the right and two on left channel. I think I should be able to create an interesting and compelling interaction, so I’m not too disappointed.
Another revision decision has been to abandon using silicone adhesive to adhere the dish to the latex. It simply wont work, at least as I’ve been trying it. The only way I can think of it working is if I stretched the latex first, then adhered it. The issue there is that there will be no way to clamp the pieces, and I feel a strong enough hold wouldn’t develop. I will solve this problem using a similar strategy to the first iteration of the project, which is to use rubber bands. However, the milky beige color of rubber bands is not very aesthetically pleasing, so I will make them out of the same black latex material used for the membranes.
A final revision/discovery has been of a way to stretch the latex membrane. I had originally been thinking of using some kind of high tensile band, wrapped around the box, but that didn’t provide enough tension. I also considered building a type of clamp or frame, which actually led me to what I think will be the best option. I purchased 4 embroidery frames, used to hold fabric taut in order to be embroidered. I will use these frames to create a kind of drumhead, stretched taut over the speaker. This design is also nice, as it allows me to forgo building boxes, and just use the speakers underneath the membrane.
Electronics/Circuits/Code
The only real code I will be using here is SuperCollider, to provide the audio to drive the system. This is being developed in parallel to the physical fabrication. I also might use GCode to cut some MDF, but that is highly unlikely, as I am using simple shapes/cuts.
Fabrication Issues / Mechanics
The number one issue at the moment is twofold:
1. I need to determine how best to stretch the latex membrane over the box. In the first version, I ended up nailing it in to the box, which was a fast but ultimately fatal decision, as all the latex eventually ripped out. I will experiment to best determine how this will function.
2. I also need to figure out the best way to attach the dish to the latex membrane. I am going to attempt to use silicone adhesive, as it seems like the best option to maintain flexibility, as I dont think a rigid adhesive would work very well.
Lastly, I just need to decide on an overall layout/design, which shouldn’t be difficult.
Parts List
4-7 Speakers
Latex
MDF for mounting/boxes
1/4in Stereo Cable
Audio Interface
Computer/Audio Output
Mechanics
Research Methodology
This project seeks to play and experiment with the translation of one medium to another. Specifically, translating audio into a visual medium. Based on the reactions of classmates and friends to the small scale version of this undertaking, in addition to my own observations, this translation is a compelling and interesting endeavor.
The theory and practice for this work go hand in hand. The visual phenomenon that this project is utilizing is backed by hundreds of years of research and observation, however it is not one that the average person experiences in everyday life. My goal and idea in this, is to take this theory, this physical property of material, and use it in an interesting way. I feel that attempts to translate one medium to another are effective and compelling, and this project hopes to achieve this as well. As far as I have observed, most of the research and utilization of the cymatic phenomena has been strictly that; research or scientific experimentation. This project will attempt to break that barrier and create something compelling and beautiful, both visually and audibly.
The method of basing a projects core ideology on a large body of scientific work is effective, in that one doesn’t have to re-invent the wheel. The hard part is done, all that is left is to find an effective and interesting way to use that data and knowledge, with which to create a cohesive and compelling work.
Historical Background / Bibliography
Meshed into one:
Historical Background / Bibliography:
This project derives heavily from the study of cymatics, a phrase coined by Hans Jenny, which is the study of wave phenomena. First noticed by Gallileo Gallilei, and later by Robert Hooke and Ernst Chlandi, these phenomena exibited beautiful patterns and structures, all derived from the natural vibrational modes/nodes of different substances. The work of Hans Jenny was most inspiring to me to start this project. Here’s a quick blurb about him:
From WikiPedia:
Life and Career
(Hans) Jenny was born in Basel, Switzerland. After completing his doctorate, he taught science at the Rudolph Steiner School in Zürich for four years before beginning his medical practice.In 1967, Jenny published the first volume of Cymatics: The Study of Wave Phenomena. The second volume came out in 1972, the year he died. This book was a written and photographic documentation of the effects of sound vibrations on fluids, powders, and liquid paste. He concluded, “This is not an unregulated chaos; it is a dynamic but ordered pattern.”
Jenny made use of crystal oscillators and an invention of his own by the name of the tonoscope to set plates and membranes vibrating. With the tonoscope, quartz sand is spread onto a black drum membrane which is 60cm in diameter. The membrane is set into vibrations by singing rather loudly through a cardboard pipe. The sand now produces complex symmetrical forms. Low tones result in rather simple and clear pictures, while higher tones form more complex structures.
Legacy
Jenny’s work influenced Alvin Lucier and, along with cymatics work by Ernst Chladni, helped lead to his composition Queen of the South. Jenny’s work was also followed up by Center for Advanced Visual Study (CAVS) founder Gyorgy Kepes at MIT. [1] His work in this area included an acoustically vibrated piece of sheet metal in which small holes had been drilled in a grid. Small flames of gas burned through these holes and thermodynamic patterns were made visible by this setup. Also, the DVD special edition of The Hafler Trio’s work Exactly As I Say includes a DVD containing material “based on and extended from techniques suggested by Prof. Hans Jenny”.
Based on Jenny’s work, photographer Alexander Lauterwasser captures imagery of water surfaces set into motion by sound sources ranging from pure sine waves to music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and even overtone singing.
His experimentation was a fusion of both science and art, which is extremely compelling to me. He also, as WikiPedia states, inspired other artists, like Lucier and Lauterwasser. Lauterwasser’s photography work inspired me to try my own hand at creating wave patterns in water.
The first step, realized last quarter, was to build a device capable of creating this type of vibrational movement. This was acheived, and the goal now is to make multiple units, and create a compelling narrative/performance with them. Here are some videos of Hans Jenny’s experiments:
Part1:
Part2:
Part3:
In addition, here is a video of the type of internal interaction I am considering building into my piece. Not the interaction of the audience with the devices (touching) but the type of interaction and flow between them.
Volume:
Bibliography:
Books:
Jenny, Hans (1967). Kymatik. ISBN 1888138076
Web:
WikiPedia: Cymatics, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymatics
Wikipedia: Hans Jenny, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Jenny_(cymatics)
WikiPedia: Ernst Chlandi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Chladni
CymaticsSource, http://www.cymaticsource.com/ (WARNING: This site embodies a bunch of hippie-new age ideas that I don’t necessarily agree with. Take this one with a grain of salt.)
Films/Video
Hans Jenny, Cymatics: Bringing Matter To Life With Sound, Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=05Io6lop3mk, Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ahJYUVDY5ek, Part 3:http://youtube.com/watch?v=I4jUMWFKPTY
YouTube Search: Cymatics, http://youtube.com/results?search_query=cymatics&search_type=
Abstract/Conceptual Overview
UNTITLED7
A study on standing wave interaction, modularity, and the translation of an audible medium to a visible one, this project hopes to explore the interactions between sound, liquid, light and motion. A continuation of an earlier work, this project will become a more broad and dynamic exploration of the previously mentioned components, their interactions with each other, the audience, and the space they occupy.
