Alessandra Fleck – Looking Outwards 04 : Sound Art – [OLD FALL 2018] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice

One sound and computation project I found that I thought was interesting is the Reflector Distortion project by Carsten Nicolai. What I find most interesting about this project is the way in which the computational aspect is not transcribed visually on a screen but rather through the subtle moves in the water dish.

The premises of this project stem from inputting sound into an algorithm that then associates that sound with a pattern and then outputs that sound in the source of a low frequency sound that replicates that pattern in the water basin.

(on the image above, the art piece is set in a white box room with clean, neon white lights as the only source of light. There was much detail put into the room alone to ensure that the cleanliness of the exhibit and sound distortions is exhibited well)

Rather than exhibiting the sound in the form of music, this project focuses on the frequency of sound as a basis of art. Enable to clearly visualize these changes in frequencies, the art piece uses a low black basin of water with a line of white neon lights mounted on the ceiling above the basin to reflect the lines in the basin and male the sound changes visible.

Exhibiting sound in the form of art is a very interesting track for visualizing what is not seen on the computer. The algorithms that were used to create this probably dealt along the lines of transcribing direct frequencies to points of a curve, then using an algorithm similar to what is used in Trapcode soundkeys to take those curves and based on the level of frequency, then exhibit that curve at a higher or lower visual mode.