Looking Outwards 04 – Sound Art

Material Sequence – Physical materiality of sound
Mo H Zareei
19/11/2021

The project I’ve chosen is the “Material Sequencer: Physical materiality of sound” by Mo H Zareei. The sequencer itself is quite simple, composed mainly of 4 parts: 1, control switches; 2, onboard dial; 3, actuator/solenoid; 4, material block. The control switches inform the beat pattern within a 8 step rhythmic sequence in which the solenoid strikes the material block; the onboard dial controls the tempo of the sequence; while the material block determines the timbre of the sounds generated. By just watching it operate, the functions of each component are easily discernible, laying out the process of conversion from input to electrical to kinetic to output via sound in a clear and easily digestible manner, demystifying an otherwise ‘black box’ process. I admire the simplicity of the material artifact and the elegance with which it incorporates exploration of the sound profile of various materials. Zareei positions this work as being “a reductionist celebration of unadorned raw material through rigorous functionalism” that takes “the sequencing process outside the black box and into the acoustic realm, flaunting its materiality and physicality.”

From my understanding, each switch has a individual hard coded behavior(ie. only firing once every 5, 7, 10, etc. seconds), so toggling different switches at the same time allows for various combinations of beat patterns as a result of mixing different behaviors. The creator’s artistic sensibilities are inflected in the final sonic output via the choices of materials, switch combination, choice of the solenoid, and interaction with the tempo dial such that the output is able to manipulated according the user’s preferences.

Links:
https://www.creativeapplications.net/sound/material-sequencer-physical-materiality-of-sound/