ADP Week #2 - Play and time

Response: https://youtu.be/lA5Wdj0J98c

• Theme

In response to the theme of Play and TIme, I was inspired by the concept of looped time introduced by Mat in the class. I created a loop of recorded sounds playing in repetition with the song The Game is On from the Sherlock Series. It is a methodology for making works, especially for music. I want to have a try at playing loop sounds to convey a sense of time in the cycle.

• Method

1. I looked for any item that can make clear sounds.
2. I used my fingers to hit, scratch, click and rub items.
3. I recorded different sounds of items to see if they were suitable for the track.
4. Then repeated sounds in PR to fit with the rhythm.

• Context

There are many forms of time, reversed time, skip time, freezer time, etc. But loop time is commonly used in animations and interactive works. Loop time is similar to repetitive patterns in art. Repetition in art is one of the most popular ways for artists to create movements, stillness, confusion, etc. In visual art, repetitions are recurrences of lines, shapes and patterns. Mads (2021) suggested that a sense of rhythm and movement will be produced by intervals of elements while repeating them. And it is often applied by musicians to use loops to create rhythms through regular or alternating intervals.

Similar work by Alffy Rev applies repetition in music, which has a musical term, ‘loop station’. He uses various beat sounds, and rhythms and repeats them to create a wonderful musical piece. I’ve watched a few loop station videos before and I was shocked by them because I didn’t imagine nearby objects can become elements of music. Henry in this video is using bottles, plastic bags and instruments to create a piece of wonderful rhythm, which inspired me to create music by using nearby items.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F83O8qdOhY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vfuV-XcQT0

• Reflection

The process of making sounds was really interesting. Seeking any possible items that can produce different sounds for beats and mixing them is a novel experience for me. It is a try in the music industry although the result seems rough. I not only repeated the audio but showed the video, again and again, giving a visual repetition too. I tried to repeat sounds to catch the beat of the original bgm, but it was difficult for such a person who does not have a sense of rhythm like me.

This kind of loop approach may contribute to the humour field when the sounds are funny and videos show hilarious actions or expressions. Repetitions may bring a brainwashing effect and makes people remember the beats and images quickly.