Visualisation of Richard Scott’s ‘Several Circles’ (2013)

Several Circles is an stereo acousmatic piece in three parts taking as its starting point the 1926 painting of the same name by Wassily Kandinsky. It was mostly realised on a Serge modular analogue synthesizer though the piece was subsequently montaged and edited in a DAW but a bare minimum of subsequent digital processing were used. The electronic nature of all the sounds is not concealed; indeed the piece is a celebration of the instrument’s rather unique organic qualities and particularly its ability to suggest percussive transients characteristic of metal, glass and wood.

Composed in the composer’s studio in Berlin between June 2011 and January 2013.

The visualisation was coded by Mark Pilkington at Thought Universe Studios, Manchester June 2013. Pixels were extrapolated from an arbitrary image using audio convolution to create motion in 3D space. The image suggests spatial optical transitions within and beyond the screen. Built with Processing.

Thanks to Dr. Ricardo Climent for the use of Studio 2, NOVARS, the University of Manchester.