Synaesthesia

DECODING SOUND

ADAM KAHAN CREATIONSFla t C / 72 S t roud Green Road

London N4 3ER

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Published by Adam Kahan Creations, London

Edited and designed by Adam KahanPrinted by Online Repro London

All dimensions height before width before depth

3 copies made

Size, 210 x 210 mm

I am indebted to the advice and expertise of Bill Brown and Matthew Hobson, supervisor and MA Graphic Design course leader respectively.

I would also like to thank Christine and Danny Kahan for their guidance and support.

Many thanks,

Adam Kahan

www.adkahan.com

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INSTALLATION SET UP

20113D Studio max mock up of

sculpture and artwork.

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‘I LIED’ TELEFON TEL AVIV

2011Digital enhancement of photographic

dialogue. Image depicting colour changes for song input duration.

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CONTENTS

10 Preface

SOCIETY

11 MIND MAP

12 ARTHUR RIMBAUD

THE INDIVIDUAL

14 IN CONVERSATION wITH THE ARTIST

PROCESS

20 MEMOIRS OF A HAND

21 SCULPTURE

25 TECHNICAL DRAwINg

CREATIVE ACT

26 TRANSLATINg

28 AVERAgE LAYERINg

34 FINAL PIECES OF wORK

40 Project Bibliography

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PREFACEAN INTRODUCTION TO SynaeStheSia

Project Synaesthesia explores the relationship between the translation of sound into a visual identity through a manual process, which does not rely wholly upon modern technologies. the result of the research and development period developed the working title of the project, how is it possible to visualise sound through manual and analogue methods?

The purpose of the project is to explore the state of translation between sound and its graphical interpretation, through recording the visual expression and to produce a physical representation of this. The solution combines a piece of installation art through sculpture that contains the ingredients to visualise sound input. In turn this translates the sound movement and vibration through loose and variable materials upon it.

Slides of movement record a negative that is rendered through the historically rich and organic format of screen-printing for an original piece of sonically formed artwork.

This unique method of translating sound into a screen print image through an installation piece involves varying different design practises which are the build of the sculpture and secondly the graphical output of the screen prints which are direct results of this apparatus.

French poet, Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) became an important figure in contextualization and depth of the project theme. In particular, Rimbaud’s Les illuminations sonnet, Vowels was identified as an intriguing sound input for the installation apparatus to translate. His relevant words decode a visual realisation of the phonetic piece. Rimbaud’s sonnet considers his own verbal translation of sound though words into image. This would allow a full circle of information to be decoded into a modern adaption of his work, in this case, through a visual 2D output.

Synaesthesia’s investigation examined a new, intriguing body of research that defines its own context and therefore its own place in the field of audio-visual exploration.

STUDIO

2011Lighting and tripod apparatus

toview horizontally from above to record sound movement.

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SYNAESTHESIAHow IS IT poSSIblE To vISuAlISE SouNd THrougH mANuAl ANd

ANAloguE mETHodS?

vISuAlIZINg SouNd

ArTISTS

JAmIE dobSoN SuSAN HIllEruNITEd vISuAl

ArTISTS

SouNd/ImAgE TrANSlATIoN

CoNdITIoN

rESourCES

FAmouS pErSoNS

SuFFErErS

rooTS mANuvA

gYörgY lIgETI

STEvIE woNdEr

ANAloguE

dIgITAl

lITErATurE INvESTIgATIoNS

poETrY

ArTHur rImbAud

les Illuminations

NEgATIvE oF SouNd

prINT

SCrEENprINTINg

For example:bright Colors Falsely

Seen: Synaesthesia and the Search for Transcendental

Knowledge Kevin T dann

1998

For example:Synesthesia: perspectives

from Cognitive Neuroscience

lynn C. robertson and Noam Sagiv

2004

MIND MAP

2011Directing an outcome

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ARTHUR RIMBAUD(1854—1891)

Vowels

A black, E white, I red, U green, O blue: vowels,I shall tell, one day, of your mysterious origins:

A, black velvety jacket of brilliant flieswhich buzz around cruel smells,

Gulfs of shadow; E, whiteness of vapours and of tents,lances of proud glaciers, white kings, shivers of cow-parsley;

I, purples, spat blood, smile of beautiful lipsin anger or in the raptures of penitence;

U, waves, divine shudderings of viridian seas,the peace of pastures dotted with animals, the peace of the furrows

which alchemy prints on broad studious foreheads;

O, sublime Trumpet full of strange piercing sounds,silences crossed by [Worlds and by Angels]:–O the Omega! the violet ray of [His] Eyes!

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VOwELS POSTER

2011Screen printed image depicting the first line of Arthur Rimbaud’s

Vowels sonnet.

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VISUALIzINg SOUNDIN CONVERSATION WITH ADAM KAHAN

Editors note: The interviews and conversations from which the following text is drawn took place on a number of occasions during the preparation, development and completion of ‘Synaesthesia’ between July and August 2011.

Edvina Fahlqvist (Hannah Barry Gallery, London): We could start discussing the genesis and development of ‘Synaesthesia’ . How would you describe your project?

Adam Kahan: I started off Synaesthesia thinking about the medical condition, code name for seeing visualizations in your mind, induced by music and sounds. The concept of people see and sound fascinated me. So I thought about reproducing this but in a tangible, physical piece of sonic artwork.

EF: How does the output of the projects screen prints relate to the installation?

AK: The installation has two forms. As a sculpture, visually enhancing the basis for producing vibrations upon a slide on the top of the piece. Mainly however, it is the apparatus and the catalyst for visualizing the translational sound print.

The vibrations of varying different types of loose materials were systematically tested on the topside of the piece, which I called the slide.

This became an action shot in time depicting the movement, of the translation of the sound of the high quality speaker below.

The philosophy of Vilém Fluseer ‘Apparatus’ chapter in Towards a Philosophy of Photography really describes the sentiment I have towards the installation piece. Fluseer mentions a revolutionary approach for his period in time, through his observation of graphics and what builds an image.

I really read a lot of his work during the build of the sculpture, his of literature consisted of decoding technical images, photography and graphics. From his post industrial philosophical approach he was not being directly involved with subjects until his later

PROCESS

2011Screen printing at the

London print club, Dalston.

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BEFORE AND AFTER

2011Original and decoded comparison.

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life. I found that his writings were analysing the subject from a more unbiased and modernistic perspective. I felt that his words on decoding an image, not just visually, but also socially and mechanically enabled for me to input such an input to the work I have presented you today.

EF: ‘Synaesthesia’ went through a number of changes and refinements during the period of project development and testing, how did you visualize an end result for the project?

AK: Well I have always been engaged with my fellow contemporaries work, who have worked with mixed medias sound and image, such as Susan Hiller and Jamie Dobson. They played manually with their apparatus to form an output, which they then went on to fully document and I wanted to this in my own particular way. The experience of visiting and research their work influenced my thought process and how broadly I could push graphic design into new areas of expression.

EF: You have developed a certain style of pixelating the end result, why is this?

AK: This is purely to provide a more abstract nature so you can decode the sound. If you look at the images you can work out, where’s louder and where’s softer with the sound and the tone of the colour of the pixel. It’s gives you a complete overall image of the sound input. This is through a diffusion of the original image, and If you move further away from the image the image becomes more detailed with distance, thus intriguing the viewer from different angles of view. The actual pixels are made up of hundreds of dots that build up the overall image.

EF: Yes but when developing this project, you produced an archive of varying different methods of achieving these sound prints, tell me about this.

AK: I produced a large archive of build up work, to document everything I have produced. From sales receipts for different materials to scraps of paper with notes on. Documenting the process and the installation is an important element of my practice and the style of my work.

EF: But why was this?

RECORD TRACE

2007Image courtesy

of Jamie Dobson

MAgIC LANTERN

1987Image courtesy of Susan Hiller

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AK: It puts the project into context, it justifies the project, and almost acts as a copy write artistically of my work. You can see the project development, and birth through to where we are now.

EF: You used many images as different slides throughout a piece Arthur Rimbaud’s, Les illuminations sonnet to produce an average, was this to represent the sound of his words as a complete object visually

AK: Yes, in the production of the screen print image I wanted to show the image as a whole, complete object of the sound. So if you take for instance, a slide every ten seconds from the sound input, you can build these photographical layers to form an average image of the complete piece of sound.

EF: And the link between Rimbaud’s Les Illuminations Sonnet and your sound prints was made to refer to a sound piece commenting on colour I take it?

AK: It was so the sound input to the piece was to a form full circle. To frame Rimbaud’s words, and develop an image of the relevant Synaesthesia induced poetry sonnet. I pre recorded the poetry myself and played it into the sculpture to form the negatives and some of the images you see today.

EF: Synaesthesia is a condition of visualizing sound, many artists and musicians claim to of experienced this, have you?

AK: I think I may have when I was younger, through listening to lots of sounds and pieces of music, in different moods and differing physiological states.

EV: Do you feel your prints contextually communicate this and how?

AK: The prints communicate the sound visually, so it’s almost the same translation and process as the real condition of Synaesthesia; we are doing it here, but with a tangible output.

EF: You introduced an interactive element to your installation set up with a visual projection of the average build up of the sound movements, why did you feel this was necessary

TRANSLATION

20112 mm slide designed

relay sound into image.

SPEAKER

2011JBL speaker and

air hole relay sound.

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AK: It was necessary to justify the whole image, If you just took a slide at the end of the sound piece, image that’s just one part, but if you put them all together, for example 4, or 8 12 images, and combine them as an average it works as a visual guide to the sound, the short clip shows this build up of sound visually.

EF: How do you feel about the interactive element of the project, as a graphic designer?

I wanted the image to produce itself through my concept. But I also wanted to mature the output and push it in a direction that will make it artistically intriguing, innovative and creditable. EF: So there is a theme throughout your work, that you want to visualize sound, though basic manual methodology?

AK: Yes that was decided a long time ago, it was working out how to do this, in a way that had not been directly foreseen before.

EF: Where do you see the future direction of this project?

AK: Using new materials, and sound outputs. I am considering using water and gels for vibrational effects, as well as other variable materials and varying types of speakers.

EF: So it does it have a longer life than what you have presented to me ?

AK: Yes I aim to experiment with further types of sound. I have been in contact with the 129 Gallery in Berlin regarding showing my final pieces. As well as this I believe the concept can have a possible commercial aspect, in record sleeve design. Obviously the image on a record cover could be a direct reflection of the sound inside it.

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NUDE REMIX

2011Test print helped to define the diffusion

dither process, through understanding the amount of dots necessary for definition.

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MEMOIRS OF A HANDDEAR DIARY

It was seen as necessary to develop a record of events. This time line works through collecting the data of a specific day throughout the design and build period.

A photographic memoir preserved this achievement.

IMG_0571_27th July

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IMG_0487_17th July IMG_0492_18th July IMG_0680_30th July

IMG_0703_4th August IMG_0760_7th August IMG_0762_13th August

IMG_0766_19th August IMG_0771_24th August IMG_0784_1st September

1918

SCULPTURE3D CONTEXT FOR A 2D OUTPUT

Project Synaesthesia provides a two dimensional outcome through screen printing originating from a three dimensional context in the installation sculpture. Crossing boundaries and disciplines.

The build of the final sculpture piece was developed through extensive prototype testing, developing concept and procedure. This would build foundations for the final sound to image translating piece.

ADHESIVE

2011Applying pressure

upon the mitre joints

ACRYLIC wELD

2011Laser cut slides, built to

2,3,3.5 & 4 mm thickness are plastic welded together.

VOwELS POSTER

2011Screen printed image depicting the first line of

Arthur Rimbaud’s Vowels sonnet. POwDER COAT

2011A light tone of grey was

choosen for durability and definition.

1918

SCULPTURE

2011finished installation piece of

sound to image translational sculpture

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VIRTUAL SCULPTURE

2011Digital recreation.

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TECHNICAL DRAwINg

2011Build plans. 1/5 scale.

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AVERAgE LAYERINgCREATING IMAGE

Layering images taken over the period of time of sound input of the Synaesthesia influenced Rimbaud verses visually contextualize the narrative. Through documenting the progression of the sound vibration over a the duration of the verse, the image produced reflects the translation of the sound into a visual identity. This is managed through photographic apparatus, taking images between 2/4 seconds. This would cumulate in approximately twenty layers for an image, producing an image as a complete object, rather than just one slide at the end of the piece of sound.

The relevant sound input communicates Rimbaud’s Vowel’s sonnet into a visual interpretation of his work, through the vibrations. This manual translation uniquely discussing and communicates the actual sounds of the passages been voiced. The graphic images are manually decoding the voice, through into a simplified format of mosaic to further decode the sonnet into a visual code that reflects the depth, noise and spread of the sound.

A BLACK

2011Original image before mosaic and diffusion.

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E wHITE


I RED


O BLUE


U gREEN


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FINAL PIECESIMAGE OUTCOME

Images are designed to visually interpret the five vowels and their associated colours from what Arthur Rimbaud perceives them to be through his Synaesthesia induced sonnet, Vowels.

The outcome images depict a sense of manual blending of complete sound, through an average combination of images taken of vibrations made throughout the length of input from above.

This concept forms a complete image of the object of sound. Outcome Images depict a blend and manual decoding of the sound, through various forms of mosaic and diffusion highlighting the movement from the centre point in a basic yet intriguing format. The dark patches in the image show more depth in colour and therefore depth of sound.

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I BLACK

2011Screen print visualisation of

Arthur Rimbaud’s text.

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E wHITE

2011Screen print visualisation of Arthur

Rimbaud’s text. Printed upon a grey/black solid printed background for contrast.

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I RED


Rimbaud’s text.

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O BLUE


Rimbaud’s text.

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U gREEN


Rimbaud’s text.

PB30

PROJECT BIBLIOgRAPHY

PRIMARY SOURCES

Site visit

Design Museum. British awards in Design London 2011

Somerset House. Pick Me Up Graphic Design Fair London 2011

Authors own site visit, Hamburger Bahnhof. Joseph Beuys Berlin, March 2010

Lisson Gallery. Haroon Mirza, March London 2011

Tate Britain. Susan Hiller, April London 2011

Idea Generation. Syd Barrett June, London 2011

Bold Tendencies sculpture park. Peckham, London June 2011

Ravens Row Max Eastley and Takehisa Kosugi Gone with the Wind installation, London June 2011

Authors own site visit, Round house, Netaudio, London June 2011

Authors own site visit, Sasson gallery, various audio visual artists, Peck-ham, London July 2011

Secondary sources

Conford, M, Cross, D. Cornford and Cross. Childhood’s End. Film & Video Umbrella 2000

Roberts, J, Withers, R. Cornford and Cross. Essays By John Roberts / Rachel Withers. London: Black Dog Publishing Ltd, 2009

Solve. BA Furniture and Product Design Nottingham Trent University Catalogue, 2011

Adam, R and Robertson, C. Screenprinting: The Complete Water-based. System Thames & Hudson, 2004Eastham, B. Optimism. Hannah Barry Gallery Publications 2007

Banner, F. Harrier and Jaguar. Tate Publishing, 2010

Nelson, M The Coral Reef, Tate Publishing 2010

Flusser, V. Towards a Philosophy of Photography. Reaktion Books, 2000

Rimbaud, A. 1886. Illuminations (les), Arlea Publishing, 1997

Albert Claudia. Audiovisuology: See This Sound: An Interdisciplinary Survey of Audiovisual Culture: An Interdisciplinary Compendium of Audiovisual Culture. Buchhandlung Walther Konig GmbH & Co. 2010

Bishop, Claire. Installation Art Publisher: Tate Publishing 2005

Crary, Jonathan. Installation Art in the New Millennium: The Empire of the Senses Thames & Hudson Ltd 2003

Frieling, Rudolf and Groys, Boris. The Art of Participation: 1950 to Now Thames & Hudson 2008

Furlong, W. Audio Arts: Discourse and Practice in Contemporary Art. John Wiley & Sons 1994

Gallagher, Ann. Susan Hiller. Tate Publishing, 2011.

Gibbs, Tony. The Fundamentals of Sonic Art & Sound Design. AVA Publishing, 2007.

Kelly, Caleb. Sound (Documents of Contemporary Art). MIT Press 2011

Kwon, Miwon Place After Another: Site-specific Art and Locational Identity MIT Press 2004

Michely, Viola and Mesch, Claudia. Joseph Beuys: The Reader. B Tauris & Co Ltd 2007

Molderings, Herbert. Duchamp and the Aesthetics of Chance: Art as Experiment (Columbia Themes in Philosophy, Social Criticism, and the Arts) Columbia University Press 2010

Mink, Janis. Duchamp (Taschen Basic Art Series) Taschen GmbH 2009

Paul, Christiane. New Media in the White Cube and Beyond: Curato-rial Models for Digital Art. University of California Press, 2009.

Rosenthal, Mark and Rainbird, Sean. Joseph Beuys: Actions, Vitrines, Environments Tate Publishing 2005

Shovlin, Jamie The Evening Redness in the West. Haunch of Venison 2009.

Film:

Holland, A (director), Total Eclipse, 1995

Synaesthesia

Documents

Transcript of Synaesthesia