Ive always been really interested in the amalgamation of visuals and sound ever since my visit to a Lights Show in ___. It incorporated atmospheric sound and visual elements to create environments of beauty and magic that reminded me of the many sound installations the visiting practitioners have introduced to me in previous lectures, except on a much grander scale. You would walk through buildings, pathways and gardens being met with a series of detailed lightworks each with an array of different colours illuminating the nebulous yet lurid night sky. Patterns plastered the walls in intricate formations – it was something out of a novel of magic. Overtaken by the multitude of different colours and arrangements I took a minute to stop and think about how all of this would have been without the lush, grand and enchanting scores in the background playing through speakers camouflaged in the wonderous aesthetic of the park – and the answer was it just wouldn’t be the same. Despite the wonderful sights, without the music the entire experience would have felt somewhat hollow, empty and devoid of any passion or emotion.
This was my first experience with sound that had such a strong visual element separate from anything diegetic. The comparability of each element was that the whole thing would not be the same without the other creating a very immersive experience. I remember how well the music synched with the cascading patterns, making full use of the atmosphere environment and space showing the importance of space in sound and the acoustic environment in which the sound is played.
Upon further research the term acoustic space is an acoustic environment in which sound can be heard by an observer. I thought about how easy it was for me to see such a ‘sound installation’ – and although sound wasn’t the main focus of the entire experience it certainly was a large contributing factor the creativity of it and how the development of such an experience was unique to the development of sound and architecture in the 20th century.
A quote from the book Music, sound and space: a transformation of public and private spaces by Georgina Born references this:
‘the emergence of sound installation art in the second half of the twentieth century reflects fundamental shifts within multiple arenas: conception of space and space- time;… the extension of music and sonic arts into expanded and sculptural and architectural models”
The use of space and environmental visuals placed alongside the sound, allowing the consumer to pass through multiple different sonic environments and spaces was something that I found interesting – the changing of the space through movement and the way in which the sonic environment evolves – specially to shift moods and emotion as the passage continued. The type of dynamism involved in to creating a place where the moods changed so sporadically (as well as the music) all to stay in touch with the atmosphere they were intending to create with all the layers involved is genuinely really interesting to think about.
Fountain Scan (2020) by Robert Henke, Hanover, Germany.
I really admire the level of work and detail that goes into creating the visual elements for the SoundArt. Robert Henke proves that SoundArt isn’t just about the sound. The visuals play a huge roll as well and in the lecture he makes the idea about experimentation and exploration clear – emphasising the point that anything can come out of accidents.