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Visible Frequencies¶
Visible Frequencies was a prototype for what I like to call "analogue surface pattern design" – a process of using real-world natural forces to generate pattern and capture it.
But more than anything it was a protoype for a life system – to see if my personal philosophies, essential tasks, and goals for self development could come together and actually support eachother.
I wondered:
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Could better structure bring more variety to my routine, which is when I'm the happiest?
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Could hard tasks become easier when paired with something fun?
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And could the things I do anyway or habitually waste become resources for opportunity?
I therefore wanted the project to revolve around my preferred hobbies:
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fashion
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music (sound)
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gardening
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research
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and photography
And I seized the chance to wrap long standing aspirations into the mix:
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learning to shoot with 35mm black-and-white film
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Getting used to asking strangers for portraits (every single one said yes)
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Living in Montreal and only speaking French in public (my second language which I have always wanted to get to a conversational level) (I did)
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Learning the basics of animation and video editing
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Getting better at embracing interim discomfort for the benefit of my future self
What resulted in tangible form was a garment.
This project began with the collection of plants and food scraps. These materials were then turned into pigment. By combining ebru ( water marbling) and the phenomenon of cymatics, I developed a machine that captured waves (both liquid and sound). And using indigo and sumi-ink, I showcased these prints on natural fibres, in the form of a silk robe that I designed and built.
This project was loosely inspired by "Do Nothing Farming,” a term coined by philosopher-farmer Masanobu Fukuoka (1912–2008).
In short, while Fukuoka's method still required work, it was about observing and harnessing nature's rhythms and building his systems around them instead of trying to control them, which ultimately resulted in less work and healthier crops.
By the same token, I don't see analogue surface pattern design to mean digital processes can never be used. I'm simply far more interested in the kinds of things that result when we work with nature and relent a bit of control.
By embracing the unexpected and building it into the process, the experience became far more exciting and self-reinforcing than anything I've conceived on my own, like a surfer so focused on catching the next wave, they forget how much energy it takes!
I think the best ideas come from strange combinations - the non-linear, non-searchable solutions that crop up when we’re least expecting – the kind we only usually stumble upon because we’re out living in the world – when we have a chance to be particularly non-self conscious and when we are doing a task for enjoyment of the task itself. This is what analogue surface pattern encourages.
But I mostly like strange combinations because they are just fun!
Which is perhaps the point after all – to make space for play…
I hope I'm always fortunate enough to include play in my life. And I recognize it's not something everyone can prioritize. Although, I don't see it as a frivolous thing. I see it as essential to the human spirit, to retaining optimism, curiosity, and a sense of wonder about the world. So I also know that upholding it as a priority has to come from me.
So while I'm thrilled with the results of Visible Frequencies, the goal is to eventually move on – to new experiments and new combinations and to bring more people into the mix – to share ideas and the excitement of play.
Because there is so much beauty that constantly surrounds us, even when we can't see it...
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