Philosophy ONE – microsecond (2018/2020)

for electronics and video

• Included in TransCultural Exchange’s “Hello World” project. See here under “sound”
• Radio Broadcast
  • BBC Radio 3 (UK) – Late Junction, 11pm, 30 August 2018.
  • Co-Op Radio 100.5FM (Vancouver, Canada) – Soundscapes, 9pm, 4 July 2018.
  • Fresh Art International (US) – Podcasts on multi-platforms, 10am, 25 July, 2018.
  • Resonance FM (London, UK) – Six Pillars, 9pm, 4 July 2018 and 5pm, 9 July 2018.

“Philosophy One, Microsecond” features on the microscopic level of an audio extract, which, through granular synthesis, extends from a dot to a plane. In “Philosophy One, Microsecond”, a 3 microseconds recording of an iconic Hong Kong traffic light sound is being used as the source material. It is then being manipulated, distorted, and juxtaposed with other manipulations of the original sound recording. Notable features of this work include 1) the multimodal analysis of sound and motion, which eventually leads to a new synthesis of rhythmic gesture, and 2) the highlight of sonic residue—in some sections, partials (in spectrum analysis) of over 50 microseconds in the original recording is filtered out, while the remaining, which is normally unheard, is amplified to an audible level. The video is made during the global lockdown due to the coronavirus in 2020. The main object could be interpreted as the traffic light, which transforms back and forth between red and green; or it could be interpreted as our earth, which has come to a halt.