Ripples Surfacing

Slow Hands & The Swimmers at MMCA- Seoul, Korea

"Slow Hands" and "Swimmers" are two original sonic works, specifically designed to be layered as an aural extension of Monica Lopez DeVictoria's visual aesthetic in her digital video collage installation called Ripples.

The first, "Slow Hands", was peeled into three thin layers hi, mid,  and low to give the artist various stratum of sound material to experiment with through the mounted video monitors. The composition was inspired by two pairs of hands reaching, pulling back, going under,  surfacing and their co-existence in the same waters yet, not quite touching. An imbricated double helix became another intersection of two swirls - two lives - two paths. The sound palette washes with deep bends and mid-range nearly buoyant lifts. A momentary natural lens flare in the shape of an octagon became the portal from "Slow Hands" to "Swimmers".

The second piece, "Swimmers", was played over a loudspeaker array. The composition and sound design were inspired by the liveliness & joy of the national synchronized swimming team athletes who were filmed by the artist. These visuals were woven into a digital representation of the artists' original helix textile pieces which used a mixture of textured paper and sewn swirling patterns. The athletes' smiles on deck became the gentle glittery bells. While in the water, their elaborate precision pulsed with baritone and alto hydro-synths...like hope singing and peeking through "Slow Hands".

"Facing the Flat World" runs from August 9-22, 2019. Visit Ripples at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea.

A short sample of a variation of the layered pieces can be heard HERE.​