kymatology

[kymatology]

Final Layout (Red)

[kymatology]

Final Layout (Blue)

[kymatology]

Process (Videography)

[kymatology]

Process (Videography)

This time, instead of taking still photos, I recorded a video to better capture the movement and fluidity of the waves. As before, I poured water onto the speaker, played the custom-made song, and filmed the interaction using a macro lens with a carefully arranged lighting setup. To transform the footage into a visual artwork, I extracted two frames per second, creating a 240-frame composition from the two-minute track. I then collaged these frames into a negative film-style border, integrating the sound wave alongside it to visually reinforce the connection between audio and motion. Finally, I printed the frames on acetate sheets, trimmed them, and assembled them into an approximately 5-meter-long strip to represent the entire song and its interaction with water.

[kymatology]

Kymatology

[kymatology]

Creating an Original Soundscape

[kymatology]

Creating an Original Soundscape

The soundtrack is made entirely using generative sampling and sound design techniques on Ableton Live. We chose algorithmic electronic music, sound synthesis and generative sound design as a general compositional approach, as the signal processing language model correlates with Kymatology and resonates with the core principals of this particular project.

Sounds are designed using various stock Ableton instruments and triggered/generated using different custom generative midi processing chains, occasionally processed through various custom effects. Our virtual signal chains and instruments are then played live, recorded and arranged to a simple 2-minute track. The project is then mixed, mastered and rendered as 48khz 24bit wav.

[kymatology]

Creating an Original Soundscape

I spent so much time exploring and choosing the right songs to help me visualize everything perfectly, but it didn’t satisfy me enough. I wanted something original and unique. Something that allows me to build the base for the whole project.

With help from one of my friends, Parsa Zakizadeh, who is a sound designer based in Darmstadt, we made two-minute music that goes through different phases and genres. We will come back to the first phase and make a loop. This loop helped me to emphasize waves more easily.  

[kymatology]

3rd Iteration

 After the second critique, I decided to change the size of my artwork. I realized using a regular poster size could make the wave seem like it's trapped within a border, which doesn't match the idea that waves keep going until they lose energy. Waves don't have a clear stopping point. To show this better, I chose a longer format to represent the wave's continuous movement. 

the format that I chose to work with was the idea of negative films of movies which have sound waves beside the frames. With this idea, I was able to show the sound waves and their effect on the waters at the same time.

[kymatology]

Process (Photography)

[kymatology]

Process (Photography)

[kymatology]

2nd Iteration

[kymatology]

2nd Iteration

[kymatology]

2nd Iteration

Based on the feedback from the first iteration, I decided to expand the focus beyond just the techno genre to explore how sound waves differ across various musical genres. Using the same technique with a speaker and water, I captured the unique wave patterns created by songs from four different genres. I then designed a cohesive layout for a series of four posters, each dedicated to one genre, showcasing their sound waves' distinct visual and rhythmic characteristics. This broader approach allows a deeper exploration of how different music styles translate into visual forms.

[kymatology]

Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena and Vibration

https://archive.org/details/hans-jenny-cymatics/mode/2up

[kymatology]

Hans Jenny

[kymatology]

Hans Jenny

Hans Jenny (1904–1972) was a Swiss scientist and physician best known for pioneering the field of cymatics, the study of how sound vibrations create visible patterns in different materials. Born in Basel, Switzerland, Jenny studied natural sciences and medicine, eventually working as a teacher and researcher.

In the 1960s, Jenny expanded on the earlier work of Ernst Chladni. Jenny conducted experiments with vibrating plates and liquids, capturing the intricate shapes formed by different sound frequencies. He coined the term cymatics to describe this phenomenon.

Jenny documented his findings in his influential book Cymatics: The Structure and Dynamics of Waves and Vibrations, published in 1967. His work showed how sound can organize matter into symmetrical, often nature-like forms, revealing the hidden structure of vibrations.

Beyond science, Jenny saw cymatics as a bridge between the physical world and deeper patterns found in nature, art, and even philosophy. He passed away in 1972, but his work inspires scientists, artists, and musicians to explore the connection between sound and form.