#fouth harmony

[autistic-autumn]

Music Ramblings No. 10

Been a while since I've done this and recently was struck by an urge to try find a bunch more music to listen to. Ended up scrambling to the library an hour before it closed but I got a bunch of stuff for the next few weeks hopefully.

Also because I haven't done these in a while basically this is just a long post of my thoughts on music after listening to it. If you want to share music my inbox and dms are always open to share stuff. I don't always get or understand music but I do like listening to it.

Alfred Schnittke - String Quartet No. 2 This piece was recommended to me to listen to after a rehearsal of a movement of my own piano quintets I am in the process of writing. The opening movement is nice short little spacious sounding thing with a number of interesting techniques and sounds produced, although it mostly functions as a prelude the more more thrilling and dramatic second movement. The second movement is violent and intense, as well as extremely difficult to perform. Each instrument plays a pattern over a slightly different subdivision creating a extremely dense and chaotic sound. There are very few movements in this movement I found where two instruments were using the same subdivision at all. Combined with the dissonant harmonic language this whole movement is quite striking, and I suspect the effect would be amplified significantly in a live performance.

The piece naturally calms after this explosive second movement, with the third having a more solemn sound to it. The way the double stops are used to create what is effectively an inner or lower pedal tone is a very nice effect, and does in many ways remind me of Arvo Part's tintinnabulation. The strings do eventually break away from this into a strange sort of two part counterpoint on the violins as it builds in intensity. The piece ends up flicking between the full unison sound of the quartet and the same irregular subdivision of the second movement which creates some really nice contrast in the texture. A final breath of fresh air is heard with the arrival of the fouth movement with the stacked 5th chords and a slow shimmering texture. There are a lot more distinctive melodies and the ones played on harmonics in octave unison towards is particularly sublime.

The way the four movements feel complete coherent is a real highlight of this piece I think. Every movement compliments the one that comes before and after it, and while my favourite would be the third movement it would equally feel incomplete without the dramatic 2nd movement preceding it and the shimmer 4th to follow. Overall a very interesting piece and one I should perhaps study more closely at a later date.

Julia Wolfe - Anthracite Fields: IV. Flowers Always saying I need to get into more minimalist and post-minimalist stuff and I was looking through Julia Wolfe stuff late last night and stumbled across this piece. The layering and texture created by this piece is phenomenal, and while I tend to prefer the more slow moving minimalist choral works, the faster pacing and more regular shifts in texture and harmony were very refreshing in this. It's a very rich and colorful piece. It's from a larger work, although I'm yet to listen to anything but this movement itself. Something about this piece just captivated me far more than I was expecting with it. Once again a lot to look into and learn from a piece like this.

Leos Janacek - On an Overgrown Path: VI Words Failed Me Speaking of single movements from larger works I haven't listened to, this is another. This is a nice short little piano piece but there is a surprising amount of color to it. Another thing that particularly fascinates me with this piece is the breadth of freedom the performer has with interpretation. Every recording I've found of it is entirely different. It's not a hard piece either, but yet it's still surprisingly captivating little thing. The careful use of wholetone scales and the simple yet clear harmony.

Chopin - Prelude No. 8 in F#m op.28 I'm not normally big on Chopin but recently heard this prelude for the first time and was immediately struck by it. It's absolutely ferociously difficult consistent of a fairly simple melody in the middle and a lot of embellishment around it. The climax where it rises up to the top of the piano has some absolutely phenomenal harmony right before it falls all the way back down. I absolutely adore the last few bars where it briefly ventures into F# major before falling into F# minor again, creating this little glint of light just at the end. I particularly like this recording of it as it wasn't taken too fast and gave the piece plenty of room the breath.

I particularly mention this piece as I have recently been following Ben Laude and the Chopin podcast he's doing with Garrick Ohlsson and others as it's giving a lot of really good insight into a composer who I've often disregarded. I've always taken a more Gouldean approach to Chopin but hearing others who know a lot about Chopin carefully break down a lot of his work has been extremely fascinating.

Anyways most a lot of short things for this post just because I kind of want to get something done but hopefully will keep doing more at some point later.

[lozlovecamren-blog]

C amila

A lly

M ine Is Lauren

lau R en

jan E dinah

N ormani

[dovewingz]

i rlly like this story so far......... the image of the other animals’ harmony is so comforting. just sounds really nice ☺️☺️ sidenote the amount of stories u have planned it relatable LOL personally i have so many ideas that i never did anything with

ALSO I FORGOT WEASELS exist..... makes me think of ferrts and otters and BEAVERS!!! omg a beaver in the clan....... au where one of the beavers from the fouth apprentice return with the clans HAHA

[redilionblog]

Crows and Owls: Chapter Five

“The Owl king was living with all of his nation in the wast and deep cave.As the owls brought the crow minister inside, everyone came to look at him. There were all kinds of owls, big and small, huge and tiny, with their round and yellow eyes following every movement of the crow.- What are you one for and what do you have to tell me? - Asked the Owl king dreadfully.- Mighty and glorious king, - said the crow minister, barely on his feet. - My name is Carkailo and till today I was the oldest minister of the Crow king. But because of my attachment to you, because of my advice, I fell out of favor, suffered shame and beatings, of which, apparently, I will not recover.- So where did your king go with all his people?- They flew away out of fear of you. I advised my king not to compete with you, to send you messengers with gifts and to live with you in harmony. The king not only disobeyed my advice but recognized me as a traitor and almost killed! Oh my! Please tell your people to give me some water and take care of me, I am about to die soon! I would like to reveal to you all the plans of my unfortunate king and his evil advisers. I was at their meeting. I heard what a hell of a thing they came up with in front of you, and I wanted to warn you before dying.The Owl king ordered to give water to Carkailo and asked, shrugging his wings:- What diabolic plans did he have?- To attack you at daylight while you sleep and kill you all! From that day I got worried about your destiny! Because I knew that by day you were unarmed just like we were at night! That would be a war with no dignity and it will not bring us glory. So I decided to warn you, and for that, I was so badly punished!Everyone in the cave was silent when they heard the story. The Owl king looked worried. He also had five ministers. So he called them to his meeting and said:- Ministers! Now we know the plans of our enemies, and we have their minister as a prisoner. What shall we do?The ministers thought a bit and the first one said:- Your Majesty! We are very lucky to have this crow here. We can use his wisdom and advice for our own good. The second said: - I, dear king, think that we should take advantage of the ally that comes so unexpectedly. Let us welcome him and be grateful that he has warned us of the dire danger! - I just think that weneed to take advantage of this crow's advice on how to continue the war with the ravens,- the third one said. - I also do not mind the hospitality of our captive. If he is such a sincere supporter, let him guard our castle in the daytime, - said the fouth minister. But one minister stayed aside. It was a very old owl, named Bubo.- I have no trust in his words. Why he has to be our friend? I see no proof of his words. I would advise you to keep your eye on him!” ...to be continued. Based on the fairy-tale by Ivan Franko

[greatsandwichprince]

So with the B section I knew I had to have something with a very different feel to the A-section, but still sounding like it came from the same song. I only actually started on this part once the first A-section was mostly finished (albeit unpolished), so at least that meant I knew what I had to contrast against. I ended up settling on a classic-if-possibly-cliché build-up vamp, abandoning the previous ‘free-form’ beat that didn’t seem pinned to the barlines, and instead had a much more identifiable rhythm to it. Originally this was just straight 1′s on the offbeat but towards the end of tweaking it I changed it to triplets just for the first half (although you’ll note the second and fouth lots of triplets begin on the offbeat, not the 1st). Also shown are my attempts to finally add a continuous on-beat hit with a little hard high-hat - it just comes off as a subtle trap beat if I’m honest with myself. I’m proud of the syncopated hits in the middle there though:

I’ve attached above a very early draft of the track (so early I hadn’t named it!) to better demonstrate just how much was changed/added. At this stage the only real counterpoint is the Molokai, although most of the Piano is already on the B-section, and the only ‘core’ instrument yet to be added is the Jupiter. (To be honest I kinda prefer how simple the intro sounds compared to the final mix - if I had to admit anything it’s that I may have over-cluttered things in trying to texture and ‘professionalise’ it.) The counterpoints here went through a lot of tweaking. The Jupiter line you hear in the final was added last, with the piano and strings coming before it. The piano actually has two different counterpoints, one in the bass and one in the treble. I knew I just had to have a cheesy 70′s staccato string line but it wasn’t until a few versions later that I gave it that lone swung note in the middle. I wanted that one to mirror the Molokai harmony but with more complex rhythm, and keeping layercakes in mind also be an octave or two lower. I’m not entirely convinced of my own choice to have the Molokai overlap with the Jupiter here, but I was determined to keep both, and I tried to pan them away from eachother to at least separate them that way. Maybe I’ll change it, eventually. You might notice the last note of the intro/A-section Molokai counterpoint is held throughout. I wanted to have at least one thing (besides the fanfare at the root) solidly tying the two sections together and that was one of them - the other was the echo on the Jupiter trills. The gated 1/16th finally breaks away on it’s own melody here as well, no longer mirroring the fanfare - notice it changes pan completely halfway through. this was to allow for the Molokai harmony to not crowd the same layer:

Meanwhile the bass does the opposite, no longer accompanying but instead playing the fanfare’s fundamentals on every note. This meant that, as I was using the bass to give the fanfare some welly, I needed to give the low-mid a little bit more texture just before the drop; thus were added the strings on the last repeat - you can hear them a little more clearly in the draft - they’re the same instrument as the high-synth-strings from the A-section but about 3 octaves down. I also had to figure out how to cut that track’s volume to make way for an otherwise-obvious pitchbend, but I’ll get to that properly in a moment. 

Onwards to the A’-section with the final post, coming to a separate link near you: https://greatsandwichprince.tumblr.com/post/184433104704/for-the-last-post-i-thought-id-attach-what-the

[apineru2021]

Week 4-12

Week 4- Modelled one of my paper models within Rhino Exploring that repetition feature.

Robert Jahnke’s Ripeka series delves into Māori creation narratives and prophetic imagery through manipulating light and reflection. Robert draws inspiration from his culture to form such a beautiful artwork. In relation to this I will also draw from my culture to create a pavilion.

What is a pavilion to me?

In my opinion a pavilion is a public space that people can enjoy and relax in. Offering people seating and a place they are able to explore.

 Inpiration/Ideas 

The Samoan Ifoga

The Ifoga process a process of forgiveness.

The traditional Ifoga is an act of self humiliation in the form of an apology. The process is also accompanied by gifts from the offending village.

The leading chief (Alii title) of the offending village will travel to the victim’s village on behalf of the person that committed the crime. In the early morning before sunrise the chief will kneel and bow with a fine matt covering him and maintain that position for from sunrise to sunset and repeat everyday for however long until a member of the victim’s family comes and removes the fine mat off him as a sign of accepting his apology.

Some families do tend to further humiliate the Alii by spitting on him or sitting with their backs faced to him.

Some families are very unforgiving and so for the sake of peace between the village and families, the village high chief will step in and accept the apology as the Ifoga is detrimental to the offending chief’s health as these chiefs are old.

For support, lower ranked chiefs can accompany the alii during this process but will have to kneel and bow behind the alii as the burden of the crime is solely placed on the alii.

Ie toga/Samoan Fala

Is the most valued form of currency within Samoa

Woven by the women of Samoa it is a long process.

These are gifts given during the sua (tai le sua) these gifts are only given to those that are high ranking chiefs (alii titles or ministers) it is reserved for only very important people.

The matt is also used within the Ifoga process.

Here I made a model of the Weave Pattern, the pattern has been spaced out to allow for light to pass through.

I really like the light pattern displayed on the ground.

Weave Pattern Inspiration

Inspiration of forming the weaving pattern. Either could go for a smooth weave or more of a blocky design.

Modelling-Rhino

Modelled one of my paper models within Rhino Exploring that repetition feature.

Wrapped the design with the weaving pattern. Fairly simple but need to develop it further.

Second Design

Here I started to experiment with a pentagonal shape within Rhino. Still sticking with that repetition feature I tried to design a much simpler and well-known pavilion design.

This was the inspiration to my next design. This is a pavilion that is situated in Potters Park in Mount Eden. But due to Albert Park already having a pavilion space similar to this design I will use this design to develop my ideas.  

Rhino Modelling

Added a repetitive rail like design on the pillars to give the design some personality.

Incorporating Weave Design

Flowed the weave pattern across the roof of this design. I really like the design and the shadows that are cast. Provide good shade and looks very aesthetic. Even though I have added the weave design within the pavilion I feel like the design does not communicate the values I have placed behind the weave.

Still experimenting with the pentagonal shape, I created this. Trying to create an object that could be used to communicate reflection/self-reflection.

This design act as a mirror when pired with the right material. I like the way the feature casts the shadows on the ground. The shadow slowly moves further away from each other as they start to dissipate. I understand that the placement of this feature within my design in relation to the sun will affect the shadows casted on the ground. So, I would need to keep this in mind when figuring out the placement and the orientation of the design.

 Rhino Modelling of Pillar Design

  Experimented with the pentagon design. Still sticking to the repeating feature, I repeated triangles in a pentagon shape leaving gaps to allow for light to shine through.

Developed it further and found it to be an extremely complex design, need to dial it down. But I do like how wild it looks.

After developing my ideas from these designs I further went on to experiment with a different design. But I will draw from the ideas within these experimentations to help me achieve my final look.

Second Design

Started to experiment with a much simpler design. Using ideas from a past physical model.

 Rhino Modelling-Designs inspired from Physical Model

From one of my models, I flowed the weave design across the roof and added more support beams. Unlike my physical model I realised the straight beams were boring, so I designed these supports to fix that problem. The beams still do look boring and will try to develop it further.

Third Design

From the last design I developed the design even further. I flowed the weave design on the roof. Here the Values I placed behind the weave design is slowly shown through the design. The values of self-reflection, strength and repentance, values that are displayed within the traditional Samoan Ifoga.

This image shows how light would flow and move through the space.

Fouth Design

Bringing that same feature from the third model, I flowed the weave design cross the roof. I m really liking this idea and will develop the design further to see where it gets me.

For the weave design I flowed it across the roofs of many of my designs.This is a design idea that I will continue to go with as I really love the design texture. Alongside this I love the way light would react with this texture. In someway the shadows cast allows for a repeating feature on the ground. This goes well with what I am trying to achieve as the shadows will form a repeating pattern onto the ground.

Placement for Pavilion

From my walk within Albert Park, I have decided to place my Pavilion near the Water fountain of Albert Park. Here the space has clear fields and nice vegetation for the Pavilion to reflect adding aesthetic and elevating the pavilions reflective feature. The space also has great sunlight as there are no big trees blocking natural sunlight from the pavilion. The pavilion also is not placed within the concrete path of Albert Park. This was done as I want people to stray off the path of the park and explore.

Week 5-6

Material surfaces

Weave pattern made simple, experimenting for a simple design.

Pentagon design, designed in the same way that I did the first texture.

Weave design simplified further.

Weave design in Rhino.

 3D printed textures

Weave design with a less rounded design. More blocky design.

 More rounded design.

Week 7

Utilising these textures I created, I drew inspiration from them and went onto design a texture that I could use for the pillars. I used one of the design textures I created to form this design. A repeating weave design with empty space to allow light to shine through.

Pillar Design

Replaced the pillars with my design.

Rendered Images of Design-Rhino

Added wood to the texture. Gives off a very island vibe and mimics the same colour that traditional Samoan mats have. Most of these design ideas are drawn from my culture. But what I do like is the way light reflects of the wood giving off a very vibrant colour. The shadows cast also mimics that of the texture. The only problem is that the value of reflection int shown through this texture so I would have to experiment with much more reflective materials. But I will try to use wood as a material as it gives of a very warm and inviting mood which would benefit the space.

Experimenting with Reflective material

Here I changed the weave design material to a reflective bronze metal. Went with bronze as it till in some way mimics the colour of the traditional fine mats whilst having that reflective aesthetic to it. Love how the material reflects its surroundings, like it is part of its environment. The rounded feature of the weave design distorts its surroundings and plays with the human mind just how Jahnke’s Ripeka series does. Leaves the viewer confused and intrigued.

Here the weave patterns reflect the shadows cast onto the ground. Its bend in the material causes a distort image of the reflection which I like as its shy’s away from the buildings principle where everything is uniform and repetitive, but the reflection is not all uniform and does not follow a set pattern. Relates to the value of self-reflection just how the reflection is distorted we as humans do tend to distort our own reality to justify actions that were not good. The reflection also leaves you intrigued and confused while doing so.

Here I experimented with Polished aluminium, from this image the wood and aluminium materials do not work together in harmony to create a nice aesthetic.

From here I went onto experimenting with my past Rhino Models to see the potential of the reflective materials.

First test on one of the old models. Love this idea of reflection of its environment. Creates a very futuristic feel.

Takes that futuristic feel to another level. Makes it hard to distinguish the shapes of the structure.

Here that mind boggling effect is taken to a whole new level.

Second Model test.

Depending on the shape of the structure I can create some very mind-boggling illusions with the structure.

Reflection feature on the weave design. An extremely cool illusion. Also, I like the shadows that are casted onto the ground.

Week 8

Added materials to one of the old models that was the closest to achieving/ communicating the values behind my design features. The pillars help communicate that of the importance of self-reflection in where people need to look more at themselves and reflect on their actions before committing to them to not offend others in doing so. The weave design that flows across the roof mimics that of the traditional Ifoga where the high chief covers himself with the fine mat.

From these images it is hard to distinguish the structure which I really like. The reflections also make it seem like the structure does not have reflective pillars within it.  

I did the same thing on one of my recent models but switched the material to chrome plating. Has a purple tint to it which I really like but the problem is that it does not mimic the same colour as the traditional Samoan mats.

Week 9-10

Loved the illusions that the reflective pillars created in these last models, so I made some tweaks to my final model. Removed the pattern like pillars as they do not reflect much of its surrounding due to the way they are designed, too much empty space.  So, I replaced them with the normal pillars.

Replaced the pillars

Added the reflection texture to it and this I what I got.

Model with Bronze plating as the roof material and polished aluminium.

Polihed aluminium mirror. 

Chrome Plating

 I then went onto experimenting with chrome plating as the roof material\

Rendered Images

Chrome has a purple tint to it which I like. Has a sleek finish. Adds personality to the material as the purple tint does not get in the way of the reflecting properties of the metal. Cannot see it here but I would say that the structure would look amazing if it reflected it surroundings. Especially if it was placed within Albert Parks natural scenery and greenery.

This image better communicates the features of the chrome material.

Seating

Seating arrangement within the space.

I experimented with different seating designs. I designed the roof feature to weave into the floorboards so that the wooden platform also communicates the other functions of the Samoan fine mats as it was also used as a sleeping mat and seating.

Inspiration

Like how the seating follows a set pattern but has gaps/spaces to allow the flow of people between the eats.

I like how this design has individual planks spaced apart to create seating. I could experiment with this idea as it does kind of resemble the weave pattern.

I like how this design flows nicely out of the ground as if it was part of the floor. This design is a design that I will incorporate into my final design as it helps communicate the idea of how the weave pattern flows into the floorboards to communicate the different uses of the Samoan fine mat.

 Experiment

Kept this design simple as I tried to develop my ideas. Placed the seating in front of the reflective pillar to draw people to the reflection feature of the pavilion. Also made the seating blow out of the ground to communicate my initial idea.

 For this design I utilised the weave design and used it for seating, this further communicates my initial idea of the other uses of the Samoan fine mats. The only problem is that the design does not flow out from the floorboards which is a design I want to incorporate into the design.

For this design I placed the seating in a more spatial part of the structure. Making it longer and allowing for more seating pace this seating arrangement will help people socialise within the space. But this design is extremely simple and plain, so I will need to develop the seating to make it aesthetically pleasing that matches the flow of the whole structure.

 Made the seating design strictly from the weave design. Here I tried to flow the design out of the floorboards.

Design 2

For this design, the weave design flows much more nicely from the floorboards.

For this design I reversed the design of the seat. Kept the seating smooth with a weave design holding the seat above the ground. I like this design idea better as it matches the floor design better, also with the weave design it helps incorporate my initial ideas. The only problem is that the geometry of the seat design is curvy and does not match with the overall aesthetic of the pavilion.

Final Design

Here I made the geometry of the seat more linear to match the whole aesthetic of the pavilion. I kept the weave design but instead made it visible on the front of the seat.

 Week 11

Night time Lighting

This image communicates the placement of the light within the space. Placed lighting beneath the pillars to draw attention to the reflection feature of the pavilion during the night. I also placed lighting beneath the seats to utilise the weave pattern design.

Material Palette

My final material palette

For my project I have decided to go with metal chrome plating for the roof weave design. For the flooring of the pavilion I will use wood as it gives the space a warm feeling and invites people towards the space. The pillars will be made from polished aluminium that will reflect the surroundings of the pavilion.  

Compulsory Critique Session

This was my first critique session and was given some important feedback. I was told that I needed to improve the way I verbally communicate the values and ideas behind my designs. I was also told to create a model to better understand the scale of my project.

Week 12

Continued to work on PDF file for final submission.

[justamirrorb4ll]

Fuck 2016!!!

When you think that 2016 can't be worse, then you heard Camila left 5H !!!!! No surprise but OMFG so soon!!!!!!!