#soundtexture

"A healthy thyroid is homogenous", Dr. G.A. told me, as she was looking at an ultrasound image. She and other researchers are busy collecting data from volunteers with healthy or unhealthy thyroids, in order to understand the data generated by the LUCA device. The regularity of the thyroid's structure, its homogeneity, can be revealed by photonic absorption and scattering patterns, and will be one factor used in converting the device's readings into diagnostics.

The notion of homogeneity resonates with my interest in imperfection as an aesthetic concept. In a time-based medium like music, any exploration of imperfection first requires to establish a corresponding perfection, as a point of reference. For example, an irregular rhythmic structure is easier to perceive, and more meaningful, when it follows a regular one.

After reading the web article written by Richard Vella et al.(http://www.rogerbissell.com/id11e.html), I felt the necessity of using more precise list of sonic elements to imagine and create each sound texture. Using the same sound source and the same tool (SuperCollider) from my first attempt “muddy, heavy, dry” ( https://reikoyamada.tumblr.com/post/186536034527/muddy-dry-heavy ), this time I focused on a single sound texture, muddy. The list of elements I have so far is as follows, and here is what I came up with for “muddy”:

register (mid to low)

dynamics (soft to average)

density (high)

envelop (slow attach, long sustain and decay)

harmony (dissonant)

contrapuntal character (polyphonic)