Seismic Calligraphy: Audio Experiments with Christine Kim
Dec 7, 2009
Our equipment set-up for seismic calligraphy, November 2009. Photograph by Sabrina
Jorrell and Christine feeling the vibrations, November 2009. Photograph by Sabrina
As a resident of the neighborhood, Christine suggested Chinatown as inspiration to explore how a location can be documented. The week before, to prepare for our seismic calligraphy session, we headed to Chinatown to study the neighborhood, make field recordings, photograph the environment, and collect objects.
Using a toy taxi and the sounds of traffic to create abstract art about Chinatown, November 2009. Photograph by Sabrina
Tiny Chinese masks dancing in liquid paint, November 2009. Photograph by Sabrina
Our artifacts from Chinatown were doused in paint, ink, and pigment, and we amplified our sound recordings so much that the objects moved by themselves, making colorful abstract artworks. Christine began doing this kind of work to explore her own relationship to sound—as a person who is deaf, she wanted to explore how the realm of sound could become physical, visual, and tactile.
By Danielle