IEVA VAITI
sound, art, technology
I found it fascinating how a sound can become fossilised in a physical shape. And so in this work I wanted to play with the concept of timespace and how each of us inhabits our own unique temporal and spatial dimensions, shaping different memories of the same moment.
The score that is heard out of the speakers is weeks’ of violin improvisations, put together as a malleable, shifting and constantly changing score. The extruded resin sculptures hold the frequencies of a frozen moment from the soundscape, equivalent to roughly a second in time. One of these preserved sounds may be heard, but the remainder will remain exclusively within the sculptures, eternally preserved. The sculptures are made from resin which is a synthetic form of rosin – a material that is applied onto the bow of the violin to make the string resonate. By using this material I wanted to relate that digital process of data processing – whilst reflecting on the sound’s analog ancestry.
In crafting the soundscape, I aimed to evoke a state of meditative detachment when playing an instrument or composing, the total loss of any awareness of time. It’s a reflection of the way I think about sound - often delving into its spectral qualities, exploring the interplay of present and absent frequencies and their temporal evolution. The score-generating algorithm is a self-sustaining, recursive process that weaves together multiple moments in time infinitely - thus enabling the static nature of sound sculpting to become a fluid, ever-changing experience.
Exhibited at St James Hatchams, London
Materials: Resin, Wire, Speakers, Headphones
Tools: Max MSP, Javascript, Blender