Intertwine
Intertwine is an audiovisual work that explores tight coupling of audio and visual elements. It is performed using a combination of elements including drum machine and direct control of the audiovisual system. Intertwined is rooted in the works of John and James Whitney, Norman McLaren, Lance Putnam, and Len Lye.
Intertwine
Audiovisual
I was looking at Lance Putnam’s “S Phase” work from the 2000s. https://w2.mat.ucsb.edu/l.putnam/s_phase/index.html In this work, Putnam is directly driving the visual material from the sonic material using 3D lissajous techniques. In short, this is where the amplitudes of audio signals are used to inform the positions of (x,y,z) vertices in a virtual space.
In the documentation of “S Phase”, Putnam is kind enough to supply a diagram of how it all works. In the experimentation stage of the work “Intertwine”, I reconstructed the process, minus a few elements that treat the sound (detoning, chorusing).
I went a bit further with the visual side of things creating a feedback system.
Here are some quickly edited results of what this supplied.
1) The typical harmonic visualization that the lissajous provides:
2) A more chaotic example. I like the transitional moment here. Also, the visibility of the images was more clear in the beginning portion. Sometimes these visualizations tend to be subtle and dimly lit. This is made even worse with youtube compression.
3) In this example, I like when the images produce these unpredictable hieroglyphic type shapes in response to the sound:
4) Finally, a (slightly) unabridged version if for those that are especially interested:
After some time, I decided to pick the project up and continue toward an audiovisual work. I mixed in the some additional sound sources, such as concrete elements and Tempest Drum Machine (controlled via live coded patterns).
The Drum Machine features some real time control of various performance parameters, the live coded patterns introduce additional parametric elements to shape, and the audiovisual system itself is ripe with elements to be composed. I consolidated these elements to a single controller and developed a performance system.
The system can be performed live, and is a system capable of yielding many different results. After some time, I decided to record a performance of the system. It is presented here in an edited form.