Music box or the synesthesia of a pinwheel

[alamoshutterbug]

The box will start playing automatically, so check that volume before you click the link.

The Whitney Music Box

I stumbled upon this quite some time ago. It's based on the graphic and cinematic works of John Whitney. Many of you might remember this creator from yesteryear. He used clock mechanisms to move points of light around in specific orders to create patterns on film. One of his short films is below.

Here is an excerpt from his book, Digital Harmony:

An early intuition about how to control total dynamics led me to activate all graphic elements through a motion function that advances each element differentially. For example, if one element were set to move at a given rate, the next element might be moved at two times that rate. Then the third would move at three times that rate and so on. Each element would move at a different rate and in a different direction within the field of action. So long as all elements obey a rule of direction and rate, and none drifts aimlessly or randomly, then pattern configurations form and reform. This is harmonic resonance, and it echoes musical harmony, stated in explicit terms. I tried this procedure in several films, and was gratified by the consistency of the confirmation it demonstrated.

Here is one of his videos:




Here is an excerpt from the write-up of the music box creator regarding the first variation which plays when you click the link above, the 48 note chromatic scale:

In this particular implementation, the music box has the bars for a 48-note chromatic scale. The pattern causes chords, ascending and descending runs and melodies to be heard.

You may notice some interesting links between the visuals and the audio, especially if you are a musician. For example, when the pattern forms a 3-arm starfish, the chords you are hearing are diminished chords, which consist of minor thirds, an interval in which the notes are 3 chromatic steps apart. The chords you hear always bear this type of relationship to the pattern you are seeing, consisting of intervals which match the arrangement of arms.

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It's kinda out there, but fascinating nonetheless. My favorite variation is the microtonal scale.

[alamoshutterbug]

Well, I thought it was cool. LOL