For my second portfolio project I am focusing on my musical practice and recording an album over the course of the rest of the term. Minimalism, pitch alteration, sampling, dissonance, and texture are themes and techniques I am using to guide the creation of this collection of songs, however, each track will act more as a weekly artistic exercise than anything else. I plan on recording around 2 hours worth of music by April, and I hope to share the piece on cassette tapes and if I get the means I am planning on recording the majority of the tracks onto a 4 track tape recorder, emphasizing the lo-fi aesthetic of the simplicity of the music. So far I have recorded 5 tracks ranging from 1 minute to 7 minutes, using guitar, bass, and sampled drums with processing effects such as varispeed and tape saturation.

PROJECT 2: 

BRÜN

Project No. 2, currently titled ‘BRÜN’, is going to be an album that documents my weekly exploration surrounding minimal composition. I am focusing on the use of guitar – alongside recording techniques that I am not as familiar with, including sampling and pitch alteration. I am setting a limit on the number of mono tracks I can record and manipulate in Logic, hopefully switching to a 4 track cassette recorder by February 2025. Currently I have three recordings complete for this project, however, the final piece will be substantial in length and in recording techniques and devices used. 

I have recently been fascinated by recordings from Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes, including albums such as blueblue (2022), Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar More Songs (2021), iiyo iiyo iiyo (2024), and Live on the Green (2019). The recordings combine the complex tonality of standard jazz quartets and trios with modern pitch shifting and arrangement, while simultaneously abstracting and ‘destroying’ the audio to a lo-fi pulp.  

This collection of tracks will be a minimization of previous albums I have made, eliminating decipherable vocal tracks, and limiting the scope of color available when arranging and recording the instrumentation of each track. 

Below is a sample track from the completed recordings:

I equate the abstraction of material to the process used in creating etchings and then pressing ink or aquatint (powder pressing technique) from the metal slap onto another material, canvas. The scrapping, or distortion of the metal reminds me of the processes of abstraction used by Viking Egeling and Hans Richter in their early experimental works of visual music and abstract film when they would cut out shapes and paint directly onto film stock, altering the material to present varied imagery to the audience. Ed Ruscha’s Blank Signs (2004) is a great example of the use of abstraction to convey thoughts associated to disassociation and ‘mind wandering’, two ideas closely associated to abstract art and studies on form. Gregory Minissale expands on this idea in his book Rhythm in Art, Psychology and New Materialism, stating ‘Mind Wandering is a form of abstraction involved in both the production and reception of abstract art. Mind wandering – involuntary non-logical thought – creates rhythmic connections between abstract art and abstract thought.’ (Minissale, 2021, pp. 12-13). Process and rhythmic thought associated to the creation of abstract artworks bridge the gap between representation, matter, and interaction.

Clear imagery presenting signage in what appears to be a desert environment allows for the audience to make associations to personal memories or attributes associated to the empty shapes, and it also allows for breath digesting the work of art. The subtraction and reduction that takes place in this work allows for me to analyze and digest it in my own psyche, not tethered to any preconceived notions about the definition of the environment or space represented in the context of these works from Ruscha.

My focus for this project is centered around abstraction as imagery, surrealism, and dadaism. The project will include a sculptural drone instrument based on the simplification of a hurdy gurdy, crank and rosined wheel along 4 to 7 piano or harp strings, as well as a super 8mm film that has been abstracted by scrapping the celluloid and forming animations over the frames. In developing the structure for this artwork I changed the direction of the construction of this device multiple times. After making a scale model of the original instrument design I felt a certain disconnect from the perspectives I held going into the process of creating drafts of this work. After researching Japanese philosophies on the interaction of wooden materials, woodcraft, I was drawn to the idea of the relationship between construction and nature. It appears to me that in recognizing the relationship between the natural world and the creation of human habitats and devices, I can relay the ideas around abstraction that I have towards constructing the device. The first major design difference that will relate to the ideas surrounding Japanese wood craft is the use of mitre joints along the top and bottom bases. I will also hopefully be able to use hand tools for this project, interacting and ‘distorting’ the wood to make a work that ties into the idea of abstraction. Similar to how I will interact with the film stock. Below is a collage of updated sketches I have done for the instrument.

Here is the final description of my interests around this topic as well as the project itself:

‘Perception is not a passive response to external stimuli, like a reflex, but actively parses and anticipates external events’ (Minissale, 2021). Gregory Minissale expands on ideas around movement, abstraction, and perception in his book Rhythm in Art, Psychology and New Materialism, relaying the connection between brain activity, natural form, and ‘mind wandering’ to artistic form. For my portfolio project I am striving to create two artworks that explore these ideas surrounding the image of abstraction. These artworks will work in parallel as an exploration into abstraction as an image, and how the subjectivity of perception can physically impact the resonance of a landscape, sound, or person. 

My interests around creating works relating to these topics stems from my fascination of natural landscapes and natural form in art, the comparison of lo-fi sound and low-resolution images to abstract paintings and artworks, and the absence of form in composition, leading to the creation of material that excites and surprises me. Awareness in producing material inspired by theory and research as well as personal experience and practice leads to links between stimuli and realization, as well as deeper rooted ideas around the meaning of my work on a personal level. 

PROJECT 1: 

Sculpture for Music – Music from Sculpture – Music for Film – Film for Music 

Project No. 1, currently titled ‘sculpture for music – music from sculpture – music for film – film for music’, is going to include the realization and construction of a primitive instrument that will then be used in the composition of a film score for a distorted two-to-three-minute film of a landscape, shot on Super 8 celluloid. This concept is meant to explore abstraction as image, as well as links between abstract art, perception, and the natural environment. I am projecting both the abstraction of material and perception of the natural environment by shooting a landscape on filmstock, and then distorting the leader by scrapping over the leader, implementing my own presence in the process of capturing footage of a natural landscape as well as the ephemeral nature of medium in art. This is drawn from my own research into Dadaism, focusing on artists such as Hans Richter and Viking Eggeling, The instrument will be synonymous with the film piece, constructed solely for the realization of the image of nature. In deciding how to approach the construction of the instrument I am relying on traditional Japanese woodcraft and joinery techniques. Philosophy surrounding Japanese design promotes the importance of balance and harmony within habitat and nature. Pulling from these perspectives promoted by carpenters, designers and artists such as Makoto Fukada and Kenya Hara, I hope to also develop my own role in the link between the natural and constructed world. The instrument is a simplified and primitive hurdy gurdy, that will use a bridge structure similar to the construction found on a zither harp, producing continuous drones from a wheel on a rod with a hand crank protruding from the ‘front’ of the structure. 

This project expands on previous works of visual music I have created, as well as abstract audio – painting works including my submission for the Sonic Doing and Thinking module from year 1 titled ‘Portrait of A Mind’. The artwork was a painting I had done alongside a sonic movie illustrating a space representative of my mind at the time. I believe this work is an expansion of my earlier perspectives on abstract imagery and interpretation, as well as my current practice which I would relate to visual music, the reinterpretation of classic musical form, improvisation and psychedelic wooziness, and experimental sound for film. 

I received some excess 16mm film from my friend who is a film student, and I had the opportunity to test out different modes of abstracting the format on unexposed leader. Below I have some visual documentation of the process, however, the majority of it was done without it being documented because I was not sure if I would share this process on my blogs as a part of the prototype for this portfolio project. The use of a needle was much more involved for me, and I enjoyed the subtraction of material as a form of abstraction. Using markers on clear leader felt more volatile, and I did smudge quite a bit of the material.

Currently, the prototype of my project is the sum of experimentation both in instrument design as well as how to interact with film leader through means that resonate with me as well as ideas I have surrounding the interaction personal perception and the manipulation of material and environment in artworks.

The celluloid on the left is clear film leader that I used marker over to try to create abstract stop motion images, however, I did not like the interaction of material and the ink of the marker. The film stock on the right is black leader, more traditional, and I used both a needle and a marker in some sections, however, the interaction between the needle and black leader was more appealing to me. Maybe it was the subconscious tie I placed between this work and Len Lye’s film free Radicals. Distortion of material feels more closely related to the concept I am exploring involving abstraction and perception. Rather than focusing on specific theory and creating an image of that through the sum of this artwork, I am planning on using experimentation and trial and error to draw more personal conclusions on how the abstraction of material from physical distortion and reduction and simplification leads to the challenge of how perception and form are linked in the creation and absorption of abstract artworks.

Below are some early sketches of my final instrument design. Abstraction comes into fruition through the minimization and interpretation of a hurdy gurdy through my own primitive means. Originally I was going to rely on the simplification of the construction process as well, however, I did not resonate with the construction of a scale model of the instrument using the laser cut material presented in earlier blogs. As a result I have been researching Japanese woodcraft techniques and philosophy, which presents the importance of interaction between construction and the natural environment, this is to reframe my subconscious and conscious perception of the process I am embarking on when building the instrument itself. Allowing me to hopefully equally focus on the process of building the device as well as conceptualizing and designing the device. Based on how my brain works or over works the thinking process before the actual realization and experimentation process I have realized how important research and developing process is for the sake of my process.

In my efforts to construct a model of a primitive version of the instrument I am pushing to design I used the small laser cutter on site at LCC to get quick cuts made of 6mm plywood to make the pieces I needed for the original cavity. However, I felt a huge disconnect in interacting with the material and I have began to lean towards certain mindfulness in interacting with material, especially natural material. After reading the book White published by Kenya Hara, I was inspired to look towards Japanese woodcraft, including architecture and joinery in furniture making and home construction. There is an emphasis within traditional Japanese philosophy relating to design and construction and nature, the idea of harmony and oneness with the modern human condition and the natural world. This appeals to me, as my portfolio emphasizes the interaction and harmony of visual and sonic artworks when paired together. Apart from process, I have attempted to form and develop my perspective on not only perception and abstraction, but ideas surrounding interaction and harmony, reaction, texture, longevity, and structure. From what I have so far been exposed to, including instagram accounts such as Taku woodcraft, a Japanese carpenter who specializes in translating joinery techniques used in Japanese architecture to the world of furniture making, and smaller more accessible handcrafted wooden objects, the philosophy and technique associated to Japanese architecture and carpentry is what really appeals to my practice for this first portfolio piece. In an article from Makoto Fukada for the website Japanese Woodcraft Association, the link between natural world and woodcraft is emphasized in a sort of philosophical manner, highlighting beauty in the natural landscape and habitat.

‘ The Japanese houses of old are incredible achievements in construction and artistic virtuosity. Exuding a gentle, understated grace, they embody the idea of co-existing harmoniously with the outside world: trees, earth, and stone fuse into natural dwellings, creating habitats where people can savour the beauty of the surrounding land, forests, rivers, and wildlife.’ (Makoto Fukada, Japanese Carpenter Seyseysha Design and Build, Japan).

‘A traditional Japanese house has a specific form that defines both the structure itself and the spaces inside. Look around Japan, and you’ll find vestiges of those classical motifs still alive and well today. The techniques behind the form, which brings the power of nature into harmonious balance with human artistry, engender a unique brand of warmth and contentment-a universal, artistic harmony-by harnessing the vitality pervading the natural world. The form has continued to survive through the generations because it reflects the rich internal world of our predecessors, a vision with an enduring, irrepressible foundation, and resonates with the truth that human happiness depends on the respect for the natural world.’ (Makoto Fukada).

Something that was very inspiring to me was the defintion of the house as a human habitat, linking the sort of importance of the natural world in our own constructed lives. I believe that habitat as a term linking a natural space with a comfortable space can linked to the score of an image, creating depth in the emotive, sonic, and visual worlds within audio-visual works.

The final design approach is going to implement certain joinery techniques and aesthetics from Japanese design philosophy, with references from the ancient and modern world. This is to contribute to ideas I want to form around my personal relationship with interaction between material, sound, and the natural environment (excluding human destruction/development) because the film that will be scored with this instrument is going to be a single shot of an environment I am drawn to, on distorted super 8 film.

Images below from Japanese Woodcraft Association (japanesewoodcraftassociation.com).

(Quotes from japanesewoodcraftassociation.com)

‘In Japan, nature, religion and society are deeply intertwined. Nowhere is this more evident than in the mind of a woodworker, whose philosophical and spiritual beliefs are at the heart of their craft.’

‘Shinto – the indigenous faith of the Japanese people – places a spiritual essence in all things: animals, plants, rocks and of course, wood. It’s this belief in ‘animism‘ that pushes Japanese woodworkers to work with, rather than against, nature.’

‘From respecting the natural curvature and anomalies of wood to using wood that’s died of natural causes, these are just some ways Japanese woodworkers show their respect for nature.’

‘This animistic belief in the ‘spirit of wood’ extends to the handicraft, furniture or building made by crafts men and women. Similarly, a belief exists in the ‘spirit’ of a tool, often that of it’s late owner, passed down from generation to generation.’

The development of my own understanding of complex philosophies that reside in other artistic disciplines from around the world seems to be completely necessary in my own development of perspectives I am striving towards my own abstract practices in composition, audio-visual installation, and visual music.

I am currently experimenting with instrument design and ways of producing drones with acoustic construction and resonance. The final instrument I will begin to construct in January/February will be constructed to score an experimental film. The instrument is an attempt to explore abstraction as an image, simplifying the structure of a Hurdy Gurdy instrument, and then recording audio that will distort, modulate, shift pitch, and arrange the audio of the device in a complex colorful way. The current design includes a main chamber, similar to a fretted or bowed instrument for acoustic resonance, as well as a zither harp style string arrangement and bridge, which will be able to be tuned to different chords (I’m currently aiming to be able to fit around 7 strings on the top section). Right now I am experimenting with the most important component of the final design, the wheel. Which is meant to be cranked on a spoke, allowing for rosined edges to glide on a string surrounded by a layer of cotton, creating a continuous buzzing drone tuned to the note of the string itself.

While I am pulling inspiration from traditional instrument design, such as the hardy curdy illustrated below (VIELLE A ROUE), I want to approach the creation of my own iteration through the lens of reduction and an almost childlike approach.

Before beginning the construction of the sculptural instrument that I will use for the film I am building a series of small models out of 6mm birch plywood to develop my personal relationship and understanding of the interaction of the wheel with steel strings, and how to project a sound that resonate with me sonically and aesthetically. I began the process of this first prototype by designing a cavity in adobe illustrator that I was able to cut with a laser cutter on 6mm birch plywood, as well as circle cut with the machine to make a prototype wheel.

Once the pieces were cut I found the center of two of the 70mm circles, drilled a 5/16 inch hole in it, and put a 6mm dowel rod through. The back and front pieces were also drilled through, allowing me to position the wheel and rod through the center. I think glued the structure together using wood glue in a very primitive manner, and waited for the adhesive to set.

However, in this first attempt I estimated the necessary height needed for the wheel to be able to spin freely within the cavity, and I underestimated by about a millimeter. Improvising a solution, I drilled a secondary hole on the ‘back’ side of the structure, allowing me to position the rod inside at approximately a 25 degree angle, allowing me to reposition the wheel at different heights, to figure out the ideal situation for it to make contact with the strings. Below is a video of the rod through the structure without the wheel positioned.

The next steps will involve positioning strings above the wheel and experimenting with different techniques to produce drones using this early prototype. The instrument is also pulling inspiration from the design and approach led by Mark Korven’s apprehension engine instrument (shown below). He incorporates percussive qualities to the cavity design he used, and I am curious in incorporating various metal stripes, rods, and boards to produce different percussion instruments in my final design.

I am changing the course of this portfolio project, and am completely combining it with the concept of abstraction in film. The overall project will include an 8mm film strip that is footage I will collect from a natural landscape then distorted and abstracted through scratching the surface of the leader, as well as an experimental score composed from the sculptural instrument I will begin constructing in February. Separate from this exploration in abstraction relating to film I am also beginning to work on an album currently titled ‘BRÜN’ which is my attempt and effort to create a minimal album that only features instrumental pieces that are in context minimal and stripped back, relying on varispeed experimentation and melody to form the resonance of all of the pieces. I want the final project to be very substantial in length, accumulating the majority of my personal recordings from throughout the term. I am currently inspired by the music of artist such as Sam Gendel, Pino Paladino and Blake Mills, John Coltrane, and the loft film scores of Vincent Gallo.

I am currently developing a variety of approaches to constructing a drone instrument using a chamber and a spinning wheel coated in Rosin, in preparation for my final sculptural instrument piece that I will begin construct along an experimental film later this term. In preparation for this larger realization of the idea of abstraction I am following in constructing an instrument from scratch I am focusing on resonance, structure, string tension and tuning, as well as string distributing and alignment above the wheel. I want to have a limited amount of playability with this instrument however, I want it to have a complex tonality and multiple percussive aspects (right now I am playing with the idea of attaching thin metal sheets to the side of the chamber for sustained rolling percussive sounds that can act as hits alongside an extended drone).

I believe that the material and approach to building a variety of prototypes leading up to the final model will create increasingly subjective instruments, where tone and sonic qualities are determined by the material, process, and design specific to the individual one. The purpose of creating such a simple instrument is to attribute its qualities to the abstract nature of shooting on 8mm film, prone to being affected by a variety of variables. The narrative of the film will be my approach to imaging how I perceive the subjectivity and abstract nature of perceiving natural environments. I want to construct an instrument specific to the film to compose a score, either with found material associated to the environment I capture and abstract, or simply created in the same headspace associated to my own perception of the chosen environment. I am attributing qualities of improvisation in music to this project, which is why I am choosing to practice abstract instrument form in advance to creating the final piece. As I would practice the charts of a tune before attempting to improvise over an at tempo backing track.

I have made my first cuts for the test cavity today using the laser cutter and 6mm birch plywood. The pieces shown below include the cavity, the wheel, and what will be the bridge and section for the tuning pegs. I will make a primitive crank this weekend to spin the wheel under a singular guitar string for this initial test.

The context of my work explores the emphasis perception has on form in abstract artworks. Form can be entirely subjective when exposed to interpretation, and I believe this concept translates to the form and subjectivity of natural environment. The question I want to answer in my audio-visual artwork is ‘how can we illustrate an environment through the lens of our own psyche?’. This concept is very broad and I am choosing to limit my focus on a natural landscape (undecided) and the medium will be reduced to 8mm film to limit capability in processing, also allowing space for illustration and abstraction of the material itself.

The philosophical anxiety I am addressing in using analog means rather than digital means in the creation of the film is to focus on the interaction I will have with the medium rather than accessibility or potential. Jonathan Sterne addresses concerns around digital versus analog modes in audio in his paper The death and life of digital audio. Most notably he expresses the finite nature of analog means in describing how the digital concept of resolution translates to tape and film stock.

‘Evans’ point is not, however, unique to digital media. Analogue media can store their data in discontinuous formats as well, and resolution can be just as big an issue. Consider the two images of magnetic tape in Fig. 1. One shows particles of ferric oxide on a strip of magnetic tape, magnified through a scanning electron microscope. In tape recording, the recorder takes a sound that has been converted to an electrical signal (for instance through a microphone) and runs that signal through a small magnet that it passes over a moving strip of tape covered with particles of ferric oxide. The particles on the tape rearrange themselves in concordance with the waves given out by the magnet in the recording head of a tape recorder. When the machine passes the tape over the magnet in the reproducing head, the process is reversed, and eventually sound will emanate from a connected speaker or headphones.’ (Sterne, 2006).

This concept is not meant to be explored in my proposal, however, it is a concern. In limiting my work to analog means there are a variety of factors outside of the realization of this project that could hinder my work. The fascination and embrace of these factors is what excites me.

The subjectivity of constructing an instrument solely for the purpose of composing a score for an experimental film works transcends the practical nature of instruments as tools. I view an instrument typically as an extension of an individual. One guitar might have been used on multiple well known records, however, the mojo, so to speak, of the instrument is highlighted by the artist themselves rather than the actual device, because of association, years of practice on that specific tool, and maybe even imagery formed in interviews and playing live. Contrary to this common perception of instruments as tools for an individual, I want to construct something that I have not played before, with no structure, with no technique, and with complete naivety. This is to serve the image of abstraction I hope to form in parallel to an experimental film work.

Currently, I am working out a rudimentary design to figure out how much tension the cavity of the instrument will need to withstand to house a harp like structure on top of it. The inspiration for this instrument is based on a hurdy gurdy as well as a German style zither harp, which utilized a sound hole and reflective cavity to project sound acoustically. I will cut pieces for my prototypes using thin birch plywood and a laser cutter, however, for my final piece I want to make it by hand with repurposed and found material. However, I have been considering using a metal bridge in the final design.

Here is my initial (and primitive) adobe illustrator file that I will use when cutting out the components of the cavity on the laser cutter. It features the box itself, the wheel, and the curved bridge idea (to align the strings with the wheel). The wheel will be covered in rosin and potentially fine horsehair as well in the final design to mimic a violin or cello bow. (The bottom three circles are also meant to be cut in half, and then shaved down until the desired height is obtained).

For my portfolio I am striving to avoid digital methods. Focusing on thinking in terms of interaction, manipulation, and reaction. In spite of issues with accessibility, replicating the practices of artists who inspire my work seems to boast the importance of the modern difficulty accessing and attempting analog practices. I like the struggle, and as my work focuses on exploration rather than realization I believe that barriers are important in leading to greater discovery. Abstraction is a key theme for the start of the two projects for my portfolio submission. I am focusing on Dadaism as the reference point, focusing on the anti in creation and early works from Viking Eggeling and Hans Ritcher.

My film piece for this portfolio module will emphasize the exploration of perception in environment. The analogy I am following through this project is the positive and negative experience at the beach. I recently had a conversation with a friend about a trip around South East Asia, and the issue of negative travel companions came up. She had experienced reactions from a friend that would negate any positive experience she had, most notable being the negative reaction after recapping a day trip to a lovely beach on the coast in Sri Lanka. While her perception of the environment was fulfilling, peaceful, and positive his experience was entirely negative because of slight inconveniences, especially a wet towel. This triggered ideas surrounding how individual perception drives our interpretation and abstraction of natural environments. I am planning on expressing this thought through the abstraction of film. Shooting an environment on 8mm or 16mm film stock (rather than 35mm because its more cost effective) and then abstracting the footage by carving my own drawings and animations frame by frame will allow me to illustrate this sort of dadaist and eccentric reaction to landscape. Imperfection and personality will hopefully overlap the captured footage.

This practice coincides with early abstract film works from the 1920s including Hans Richter’s Filmstudie and Viking Eggeling’s Symphonie Diagonale. However, most notably, the practice of using sharp objects to etch figures onto film is most notably comparable to Len Lye’s work Free Radicals from 1958. Light and dark, the two basic principles of working with film, presented through white figures after scrapping off the exposable material on film stock. The work conveys rhythm and movement in a very primitive manner, and that approach appeals to me in being able to convey personal reaction and abstraction to the material itself, overlapping with the environment in the finished project.

Attempting to use film stock is a dedication to the work of early visual music artists and experimental film makers that have inspired my artwork in the past. There is a quality in analog work that is a byproduct of linking the artist and the material physically that appeals to how artworks resonate with me. I am researching and looking into using either 16mm or preferably 8mm film because of accessibility, however, there are still a lot of costs involved.

Following precedence set by Len Lye, I am also designing a tool to use when etching into the film stock at a very small scale. While he was known to have used arrowheads in his work Free Radicals, I will utilize a fine needle, so that I can also set up a magnifying glass to ensure access to detail when animating over the exposed film stock. I am also working on designing stencils to use over certain frames. Inspired by works from Ed Ruscha, I am drawn to the perfection set by stencils, especially ones that are designed alongside an artwork. However, I am aware that in designing and cutting stencils using a laser cutter, I will stray away from the analog approach inspired by the above mentioned works.

‘Art creates change, but it should not be in the hands of the person who experiences it, not at the command of another, whether artist or funder.’ (François Matarasso, 2019) .

The goal from this exercise in reflection is to find what power lies in what change my practice strives cause. This is either forced or by reaction. I don’t feel as if my work is an attempt to cause change. I think it is only an exploration, whether of my self, emotions, experiences, or location. However, recently I have been experimenting with visual music and animation alongside audio works and it reflecting on past work and rewatching works that I have ‘completed’ I have discovered new experiences through them, separate from the processes I encountered during the process of creating them. In finding meditation, emptiness, and wandering in my own work, I have been able to realize the transition that occurs once something is released from the clutches of my desk or Logic session. Despite not attempting to incite change, I believe that change can be a byproduct of honest art. Is forced change even possible? Or does it have to be a byproduct of a genuine attempt to discover or convey something that isn’t otherwise understood. I believe that art can create change; change is a byproduct through genuine expression, truth, dedication, and exploration.