Jan. 17 - Jan. 21, 2022
Partners: Fangxue, May, Ranga
Brief: Design and make a bio material instrument and play it together.
The presentations from Ronnie and Anoushka helped get the gears turning in terms of opening up the possibilities for sound design and production. I started thinking about all the different sounds that could be generated from natural processes such as decay or exposure to the natural elements such heat or freezing temperatures. The key process we decided to explore was decay and how it alters the texture/molecular composition of the bio material.
Triggering the Decay Process
On our first day, we agreed that we were most fascinated by the rotting process of bio materials. We wanted to stay away from what might normally be considered "pretty" or "beautiful" processes and explore something that we would not normally be expected/permitted to seek out in professional settings.
To begin the rotting process, we mixed together the carageenan and waited for it to settle overnight. While it was settling, we could deliberate on which biomaterial to use. We decided on apple, banana, pork loin, cheese, and lemon, as these had different textures and consistencies and decayed at different rates [1].
preparing the carageenan and testing it on a lemon slice
We also considered elements from nature such as stones, sand, and soil, but first decided to start with produce as they had a more evident and faster rotting process.
Rotting
After researching the environmental conditions that lead to rotting, we learned that rotting is affected by:
Availability of air: Many bacteria and fungi need oxygen from the air in order to live and begin the decomposition process.
Temperature: Decomposers need a certain temperature to live. Many biological reactions will speed up in warm temperatures and slow down in cold temperatures.
Availability of water: Decomposers need water to survive and reproduce.
Chemical composition of food: the higher the nitrogen to carbon ratio the quicker organic matter will rot because decomposers can get more energy from nitrogen [2].
Consistencies and Textures of Bio Material
What sorts of textures would produce the most viable sound? We figured that we would need some material that would have lots of vibration in order to produce a detectable sound.
Sonic Experience
After choosing our test subjects for the biomaterials, it was time to think more about what kind of sonic experience we wanted to produce. We returned to the key words of: resonance, pitch, tone, and composition. Thinking back to Ronnie's presentation, we considered how to bring out the abstract, repetitive, patterned nature of sonic experience.
We also thought about using different parts of our body to interact with the instrument, such as our feet instead of our hands or blowing onto/through the instruments. We had to be very intentional with what we wanted something to sound like and why.
What is an Instrument?
While looking at the carageenan interacting with the various produce and meat, we were stumped as to how we were to record any sounds. It seemed like the only sound we could feasibly extract would be in the mushy, squishy register.
According to Thomas Hermann, Andy Hunt, and John G. Neuhoff in The Sonification Handbook, "The common attributes of most acoustic musical instruments are as follows: there is interaction with a physical object, co-ordinated hand and finger motions are crucial to the acoustic output, the acoustic reaction is instantaneous, the sound depends in complex ways on the detailed kinds of interaction (e.g., on simultaneous positions, velocities, accelerations, and pressures)" [3].
So, the instrument didn't have to look or be played in any specific way, as long as there could be some sort of sonic output.
I started thinking about more unconventional ways to make instruments and was reminded of the German New Wave band Einsturzende Neubauten. They often incorporated industrial materials such as drain pipes and shopping carts in their music.
Bjork also uses unconventional instruments such as water drums and electricity in her compositions [4] and [5].
Recording our Biomaterial
Next, it was time to record the sounds coming from our biomaterials.
our biomaterials mixed with the carageenan
We used the contact mic and sound recorder to pick up the sounds of the produce mixed with the carageenan. We ensured that there was consistency in our method of testing sounds, such as stabbing, smashing, or smushing the biomaterials.
After recording a series of sounds, we realized that the carageenan did very little to alter the sounds of the produce without the carageenan. For example, a banana mixed with carageenan sounded the exact same as a banana without it.
It was time to regroup and rethink how to produce a distinct, recognizable sound.
During our tutorial, John, Al, and Ronnie proposed different ways to incorporate biomaterials. They suggested things like reducing leaves or soil to their base components. They also noted that we could choose one material and transform it into different types of instruments instead of using several kinds of biomaterials and making them into the same type of instrument. They encouraged us to think about all the different ways to explore how the material sounds.
Yeast
We found ourselves at a crossroads. We could either continue down the carageenan/ biomaterial path or try to explore a new kind of biomaterial. We still found ourselves fascinated by yeast as it is a natural biomaterial used often in the home (and other groups weren't exploring yeast), so we all agreed to try to construct a sonic experience out of yeast.
examples of sounds produced with yeast
Recording Sounds from Dough
We made different types of dough, some with more moisture than others, some with tapioca pearls, sesame seeds, and more hardened dough. We then used different techniques to produce sounds from the dough.
tearing the dough
rubbing the dough on different surfaces
our final dough instrument
We assembled dough in various stages of being cooked: boiled, baked, steamed, frozen, and fresh. We also added some seeds for different textures.
Key Takeaways
After our performance, we thought about the ways that we could build upon our dough instrument if we had given ourselves more time from the get-go. We could have had more design intention, such as making our "instrument" more visually cohesive rather than simply placed on a piece of cardboard. We also could have looked into other ways of playing the dough, such as scratching or puncturing it rather than simply tapping or banging it like a drum.
This was definitely the most exploratory project thus far. As John and Al noted, it was an emergent process, in which we were gathering data from the transformation of biological materials. For much of the week, we didn't know where we were going. But through the randomness of exploration, we learned to go with the flow and create something through the discovery process.
References
Hermann, T., Hunt, A. and Neuhoff, J.G., (2011) The sonification handbook. Berlin: Logos Verlag, p. 281.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/eza747/a-guide-to-bj%C3%B6rks-custom-ibiophiliai-instruments
https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/rze4k3/instruments-from-antarctica-interview
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