Potential Thesis Project

There is a direct relationship between sound waves and visual patterns. Ernst Chladni discovered nodal patterns that are created through different sound frequencies. He found this through what is now called the ‘Chladni test;’ which is performed by placing a speaker on it’s back, then attaching a metal plate to the face of the speaker. Other materials have also begun to be used to determine resonance frequencies within instruments like violins. The user then pours salt or sand onto the plate while different tones are played through the speaker. As the pitch is adjusted different visual patterns appear. The higher the pitch, the more intricate the patterns become.

If sound waves then can create such precise visual patterns, is it possible that sound and visual understanding would therefore go hand in hand? Visuals for music would not simply be created on a subjective level but rather a subconsciously predetermined level.

Think about your favorite musical genre and the visuals that accompany the albums. Psychedelic rock of the 1960’s has a distinct visual style, as does Norwegian Black Metal of the mid 1980’s and early 90’s. Why is it that we associate certain visual elements with particular music styles? Could it possibly be that the sound waves from a particular guitar tone or the frequency of a microphone, is what informs our visual preference.

People often associate themselves with music style and design goes along with that. Fashion trends, automobiles and their accessories, as well as record sleeve artwork are all influenced by the smallest changes in sounds. Heavy metal has spawned hundreds of off-shoot subgenres that are separated by only the slightest variations. For example, there is an enormous change in both attitude as well as visuals accompaniment in black metal, death metal, grind core, and hardcore but to the uninitiated they may all sound very similar. Take the typefaces used for band names in these genres. The abstract hand rendered titles of black metal bands is hugely different from the rigid varsity styled letterforms used in hardcore. Sound seems to influenced these visual variations within the genres. The same ideas exist in Jazz and many other musical styles as well. The visual accompaniment of a jazz album by someone like Diana Krall is vastly different from artists such as John Zorn or Ornette Coleman.

Through sound we generate feelings and emotions. Music can change your day and your outlook on a particular situation. Sound can also make you move in certain ways through dance, so it is too much to believe that sound could directly influence visuals such as design? I propose that there is a direct correlation between sound waves and visual language. Album covers, music videos, and even live performances are all influenced by sound. This is not simply a subjective undertaking but rather a predetermined course guided by sound frequencies and the visual patterns.

Visual Examples of the Chladni test.



Potential Sources

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