This Friday I attended a performance of PAT Master Student Simon Alexander-Adams’ Master Thesis, Noise Void. Noise Void is an advanced multi-media production created with digital compositing technology accompanied by an electronic score, solely created by Alexander-Adams. Alexander-Adams also made use of projection-mapping, mapping his project onto a series of screens in 3-D space in order to create a complex and immersive visual experience.
Noise Void is a short experimental piece drawing inspiration from the glitches everyday computer software produce. Alexander-Adams collected hundreds of sounds and images from corrupted Windows files as a starting point for the project. Seeing the presentation reminded me of the adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Glitched files are junk–useless, a waste of storage space. Alexander-Adams approaches corrupted date from a different perspective, seeing them as an opportunity to explore the recesses of cyberspace.
Noise Void, although quite experimental, maintains semblances of narrative. A blank screen freezes, glitches, and descends into the void of unruly data. I felt like I was tumbling through a vortex of information, bombarded by waves of sound and light. The visual experience is quite compelling. Jagged lines undulate violently across the screen, warping through phases of color and intensity.
The accompanying score is equally impressive. A drone of beeping digital sounds which clamor with increasing intensity as the lines of code move ever more frantically across the screen. This was clearly a meticulous work, as layers of audiovisual patterns gained increasing complexity, and despite the rhythmic nature of the piece, I never felt bored, I watched on fascinated by what could possibly happen next.
After a tumultuous ride through glitch space, Noise Void ends with a return to a static screen and shuts off. I interpreted this experience as a journey through a corrupted file as it’s being read by a computer–the computer tries to interpret the data, but ultimately fails. I’m not sure if my interpretation is correct, or whether there is really a single correct way to interpret this visual marvel, but the experience is certainly provocative. The meticulous design, crisp sound design, and intricate aesthetic culminate in an audiovisual experience unlike anything I’d seen before. The use of projection mapping enhanced the experience, adding a 3-dimensional aspect to the performance, heightening my immersion and whetting my desire to delve deeper into the void.
here is a link to Noise Void. Not as visceral as the live performance, but still an awesome video to watch.
