Sound Shapes

1972
Country: UK
Duration: 3 mins
B&W,
Sound: Optical
Ratio: 1:1.33
Available Format/s: 16mm
Original Format: 16mm film

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One of my first 16mm films, made without a camera as an experiment in how to visualize rhythm. It equates four simple shapes with four simple sounds, made by punching shapes into black film and scratching into the film’s optical sound track.The film uses a bar structure similar to a music score. Each bar lasts one second (24 frames of film) and is divided into 2, 3, 4 or 6 aural and visual beats per second (bps). These are used in alternating patterns such as:2/3, 3/4, 3/4/6, 2/3/6In each section of the film an arbitrary relationship is established between image, sound and beats per second, for example:circle = 12 scratches per frame (high pitch sound) at 6 bpsrhombus = 6 scratches per frame (mid pitch sound) at 4 bpstriangle = 3 scratches per frame (low pitch sound) at 3 bpsrectangle = 1 scratch per frame (percussive sound) at 6 bpsA print of the film was hand-painted in 2006

More works by Guy Sherwin

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