Project Proposal
Carter Hanson – Audio/Visual Installation
The way that the human eye takes in and perceives light is much more fascinating than most people realize. Over 300 years ago Sir Isaac Newton observed a beam of sunlight pass through a glass prism. What he discovered is that light is made up of a spectrum ranging from 7 different visible colors. Every single color of light that you have seen in your life has come from these 7 base colors.
I am creating an audio/visual installation that will bring this realization to life through the use of diffraction grating glasses. The viewer will be prompted to put on a pair of these glasses as they enter the environment. Diffraction is defined as the process by which a beam of light waves is spread out as a result of passing through a narrow aperture or across an edge or “grating”. As the light passes through this grating, each beam of light is split into it individual spectrum of colors. The room in which this project will be installed will be very dark allowing the viewer to fully immerse him or herself in the animation that will be projected. This projection will also be viewable on the sides of the room through use of reflective material adhered to the walls.
The imagery presented in this animation will be an abstract representation of intriguing movements found on our Earth and throughout outer space. The forces of gravity dictate how almost everything works in our world and beyond. This awe inspiring power is the driving force behind my creation of the motion graphics seen in the 2D animation for this project. Shapes will be forming and deforming based on gravity-like effects put upon them. To do this I will be using a mix of Adobe After Effects, Processing IDE, Cinema 4D, and Premiere Pro. The audio soundscape will be created within Apple Logic Pro.
The audio for this piece will be an evolving soundscape of synthesized sounds and drum tracks. All of the music will be created from the ground up within Logic Pro. The audio is meant to set a mood more than anything and will be created before I make the visuals to accompany it. This allows me to animate in a much more organized and appealing way that will work in tandem with the original music to fully immerse the viewer in this installation. Emerging shapes and movements based on the effect of gravity will fill the environment with color that is expanded by the use of the diffraction grating glasses.
All in all, I want to create a space that takes the viewer away from their normal sense of being with a stunning visual and auditory representation of gravity. Viewers should feel free to move around the space to notice all of the interesting aspects of the work. This project will be installed at the OSU Urban Arts Space in downtown Columbus, Ohio in April 2016.
