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Saturday, November 3, 2012

Art Through Technology - Graphics Speak

By Mollie Cohen


As children we were often asked to do creative activities. These may have involved questions like, “If this color could make a sound, what sound would it make?” A Malaysian designer, however, took this idea and amplified it.
'Graphics Speak' is an installation for the Toolkit Festival, an Italian festival which encourages artists to go to workshops and to be inspired by the artists that have been chosen to display their work in the A+A Slovenian Exhibition Centre.
The installation itself is exactly what it sounds like. The artist (Weng Nam Yap) has designed several clear plastic discs that go over the records on record players. The user may choose one of these discs outside of the installation and then walk in.
The installation itself is inside of a darkroom and consists of two record players and an analog television. By broadcasting live video recordings of the discs onto the audio television the electromagnetic waves are translated into sound through a sensor. 
The last piece of musical instrument of is custom made. Instead of being able to place discs on it and manipulate the sound with those it produces a solid sound that comes from the lines that are already on it. The sounds this device makes can be manipulated by turning the crank to the right of the instrument and changing the line that the analog television is reading.
Various musical compositions can be made by mixing different patterns on the turntables. Though unlikely to produce anything truly amazing in the realm of musical genius, the art installation is one that stands on it's own as something that nobody else has been able to do. 
It is also family friendly. Due to the art installation not requiring anything truly special it is easy for children to interact with the exhibition making it a great hit among them. 

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