Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Re: [Yasmin_discussions] synesthesia

Hi all,

language can be arbitrary, can't it? Isn't it true, that, up to some level
at least, such arbitrariness can open new ways of thinking reality?

I think anything is possible in this field. Any mixing and combination can
be done. Why not? However, the chalenge is to move, poetically, far ahead
than the algorithmic effects generated automatically by, for example,
Windows Media Player, and other similar devices. Those image/sound
experiences make a kind of automatic John Whitney which has lead me to
inquire on the relations among synesthesia and digital culture, part of my
doctorate work -- the "digital perception" environment.

Brazilian visual artist Abraham Palatnik created abstract moving images in
the 50s of striking beauty. They much recall some things usually quoted in
the synesthetic art literature, like the devices produced by Oskar Fishinger
in the 50s also.

It is a matter of searching for poetic impact just like any art work, but
with specific material you chose to play with and try to find new things.
However, they demand sensibility and repertoire in souns and images, and
that's not that easy -- but not that hard also, just demand work, as any
other art research.

The skoltz_kogen duo is making really interesting things, using Pure Data
software, I think. It is performance with huge data-bases of sound and image
algorithms, manipulated in real-time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSmQp-WyDkk (for example)

What seems amazing to me in this work, is that it uses sounds which, by
themselves, used to be rejected by average audiences as too chalenging, and
images which by themselves would not be considered entertaining as also (not
that art is supposed to be entertainment). But when the're mixed together,
their blending creates an immersive situation in which the audience gets
completely involved and amazed.

So the blending creates an entire new aesthesis.

The amount of people working in this territory also reinforces this idea of
the digital perception environment as being in many aspects synesthetic --
think of vjs, drug fueled raves, etc... there is even a video-game of sounds
and abstract images -- I shall find out its name, a student mentioned it in
class.

I was delighted to read Antunes in this list and I send my regards.

best vibes from Brazil

s


On Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 8:43 AM, <aslemeur@free.fr> wrote:

> Hi every one,
>
> I am very interested in the idea of "inaudible octaves" produced by
> colors/movements (Jorge Antunes).
> (I like this idea to distort/corrupt... the rational/direct correspondance
> between sound and color)
>
> But...
> Most of the time, as a viewer, I suffer from the chosen music/composition
> put on
> the 'animated shapes'.
> I know people/artists put/stick music on image for diverse reasons : the
> fashion
> of music-everywhere, the fear of silent/emptiness, the desire to orientate
> more
> directly its meaning. but I don't think these points are major in my
> reaction.
> I guess my unease/pain comes mainly from the 'bad' sensitive correspondance
> between them.
>
> I guess that is why I decided a few years ago not to have any 'music' on my
> images. not to break the inner/intern sound of the image or their
> 'subjective'
> sound. to let it grow.
> (which makes it really harder to be selected in festivals !!)
>
> Is there some texts on sujective sound, which wouldn't be audible/expressed
> ?
>
> "minority of people experience the condition"
> "we all have some kind of synesthetic sense." (Ernest Edmonds)
> Can't we learn to feel the "synesthetic sense" better ?
>
> How to orientate the sound-image relation not in a too 'dictatorial' way ?
>
> (sorry for my bad english)
>
> AS Le Meur
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--
-- Prof. Dr. Sérgio Roclaw Basbaum
-- Coord. Tecnologia e Mídias Digitais
-- Pós-Graduação Tec.da Inteligência e Design Digital - TIDD (PUC-SP)
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