Role: Artist, Sound Designer, Writer

If pressed, I’d prefer wordlessness altogether: An audio-visual piece made with field recordings and utilizing StyleGAN.

….During the pandemic we experienced a level of isolation never previously witnessed in our lifetime. Juxtaposing such seeming separation was the implication that we each affect each other, much more deeply and immediately than perhaps we’ve previously given credit. In parallel, the rapid onset and existence of tools that enable our constant virtual connection have also made us lonelier and more insulated, disconnected not just from each other but ourselves and the environment. The dissonance between these factors and our primal desire to connect is what underpin this piece. I often think about what the dissolution of word based language might mean for my ability to more deeply connect with my environment, as well as the people around me. Is the abstraction of experience the barrier towards understanding? What are the sustainable modalities for reconnection? 

The field recordings for this track were done in Point Defiance Park (Seattle), in my backyard in Los Angeles, and in my home studio. I processed the vocals through the Strymon Magneto module as well as Abelton, creating a tape delay effect and altering pitch and tempo. The rhythm and beat are inspired by Cuban Charanga which matched the Northern Mockingbird’s rhythm from my field recordings. To create the visuals I used StyleGAN trained on four classes of images, animated with TouchDesigner. The visuals are reacting to several parameters including pitch, tempo, and amplitude. My interest in using machine learning for this piece had more to do with the aesthetic and narrative implications of interpolation rather than perfectly reacting to music.