Background
Even a beautiful sonata in autumn is permeated by poignancy and sadness – “Invisible Strings” is a performance-interactive art installation inspired by Bergman’s film “Autumn Sonata”, which tells the story of a selfish and controlling mother who makes her daughter incompetent in love. The story of an immature elder who demands and even harasses her youngest to meet her own demands and desires, filling a hole in her own life and heart, feeding off her youngest and preventing her from growing up in a healthy way.
Using this film as a source of inspiration and extraction of elements, it interacts with the installation in the form of a performance, with a visual and aural rendering of the story’s development in layers. The sudden outbursts and struggles are both tortured and introspective, and the impossibility of reconciliation has long been predetermined. This work evokes empathy and connection in the audience and explores at a deeper level the contradictions and gaps between caring and giving that lead to wanton demands. At the same time, it reflects on the construction of relationships between people and the expression of love.
Reference:https://posteritati.com/poster/44855/autumn-sonata-1978-swedish-b1-poster
Design Concept
Based on Bergman’s film ‘Autumn Sonata’, which focuses on the relationship between parents and their children, we combine sound and performance to portray the changes in the daughter’s heart in the film as she is bound by her mother’s ‘expectations’. This theme was chosen because the “expectations” and “constraints” that parents bring to their children are often invisible, and the sound installation we have designed, through the three different parts of the sound performance, achieves a layering of sounds, just as the parents’ day-to-day “expectations” continue. The “expectation” is constantly superimposed in the mind of the little girl in the film.
Research
Film
The film serves as the source of inspiration and sound and visual elements as well as conceptual support for the work.
1) Synopsis of the story
Autumn Sonata, an emotional family film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann, was released in Sweden on 8 October 1978. The film tells the story of Charlotte, a distinguished orchestra piano player, and her daughter Eva, who are in serious conflict due to a chronic lack of emotional contact.
2) Elements from the film
Piano
Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2
3) Movie review
Sonata is a monologue in music. In late autumn in Sweden, a mother and daughter who have not seen each other for seven years are reunited, but instead of a harmonious concerto, they continue to play their own sonata. Solo plus solo, the result is a lonelier, more desperate solo, never superimposed on a tacit interplay, due to the inability to connect their hearts.
–Duxingxiia 6/12/2006
The emotional ebb and flow of Chopin’s music appreciation is a reflection of the human connection to God and the exploration of human nature and limits.
–Qimahenbulan 20/12/2021
Underneath the glossy exterior is a pool of mud that dare not be uncovered and exposed to the sunlight of true feelings.
— Likelight 25/10/2022
Relative News
Based on our research, we believe that the phenomenon of parents putting pressure on their children to make academic and career choices is a common occurrence worldwide. Several social news and child psychological guidance platforms have focused on this topic.
Therefore, we believe it is valuable to explore the theme of family relationships and parental expectations. We hope that this work will show the inner struggle of children under pressure.
This performance installation will only show the struggle, without a specific ending, and hopefully will cause the audience to reflect on the expectations in parent-child relationships.
Reference:https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-to-deal-with-parentscarers-expectations
https://psychcentral.com/lib/parental-pressure-and-kids-mental-health#what-is-parental-pressure
Academic paper
We have read relevant literature to prove that parents’ excessive rights claims have an indelible negative impact on children
- In Baumrind’s opinion(2012), these parents are “demanding” because they set high standards for their kids and then go out of their way to ensure they’re met.
- Walker and Associates (Walker, Hennig, & Krettenauer, 2000; Walker & Taylor, 1991) explored parent-child talks of fictitious and actual moral dilemmas within the cognitive domain. Children’s less developed moral reasoning was predicted by parents’ domineering, meddling, negative, conflictual, and sarcastic behaviour.（Kochanska, G., Aksan, N., & Nichols, K. E. (2003）
Reference:
Grolnick, W. S. (2012). The relations among parental power assertion, control, and structure. Human Development, 55(2), 57-64.
Kochanska, G., Aksan, N., & Nichols, K. E. (2003). Maternal power assertion in discipline and moral discourse contexts: commonalities, differences, and implications for children’s moral conduct and cognition. Developmental Psychology, 39(6), 949.
Technology
At the technical level we will mainly involve sound visualization software
1) Arduino & Processing
On the official Arduino website we can find an example of collaboration between Arduino and Processing. We will refer to this example to complete the technical part of the interaction.
Reference:https://www.arduino.cc/education/visualization-with-arduino-and-processing
2) Processing Particle System
We can also find instructions on how to use the particle system on Processing’s case website. We will implement particle interaction based on these instructions.
Reference:https://processing.org/examples/multipleparticlesystems.html
We have also found references to particle effects on the Internet.
Reference: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1kr4y1B7z7/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click
Mood Board
Using different material mediums, through interaction, lighting and visuals in a dark and gloomy environment, we express a kind of human relationship from conflict to struggle and finally explosion.
Reference:
https://offscreen.com/view/autumn-sonata-ingmar-bergman
https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/689965605432732862/
https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/689965605432732699/
https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/689965605432732577/
https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/689965605432732553/
https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/689965605432732559/
Sketch
Our entire sound performance was based on the film, with three separate parts of the sound performance designed from the perspective of the little girl in the movie. In the first part, a sound performer will open the whole sound installation by chanting, representing the role of the mother in the film, and the sound represents the parents’ complaints, spurs, etc. The sound is then transformed into a code and then output into an image, which consists of particles. The first part of the performance is over.
At the beginning of the second part of the performance, there are controllable lights that come on immediately after the end of the first part of the performance. The performer is trapped in a large installation of thin wires with bells and keys hanging from them. When the performer struggles, the bells are triggered to make a sound and the sound is recorded, and when the keys are triggered a sonata note is emitted with the chanting sound of the first part superimposed on the third part.
After the third part, Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 will be played. The performer plays the piano in an installation made of four white curtains. As the sound is superimposed from the first part to the climax of the third part, the curtains are pulled down to reveal that the performer is playing a fake piano made of wire, and the light and music end abruptly, ending the performance.
Group Member Assignment
Creative & Technology Support
Xiaozhuang Gao & Crystal Wu
As part of the creative concept of the Invisible Strings project involves real-time sound visualisation.
In Crystal’s and Xiaozhuang’s past personal experience, they have learned to program software such as Processing and Arduino. So they will be responsible for the sound visualisation part of the project, and ensure a better presentation of the theme of the help installation.
In the first part of the sound performance, the vocalist has to translate the sound into parameters to create a moving image by chanting, a process that involves the programming of software such as Processing and Arduino.
Sound design
Lerong Qi
The sound of this performance installation has three stages, the first of which is the real-time capture of the performer’s singing, the second of which is the sound of piano notes and bells emanating from the performer’s touch of the keys on the strings, which are layered with the looping singing sounds generated in the previous stage to form the entire soundscape, and the third of which returns to the piano piece Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 played by Eva in the film Autumn Sonata.
The initial chant is recorded in real-time and is looped into the trigger-generated sound effects during the second stage of the performance. In the second stage, the piano melody triggered by the performer’s movements samples the beginning notes from the final performance of the sonata, and this randomly sounding piano melody is recreated by the sound designer to achieve the effect of articulating the entire subsequent sonata.
Sound triggering mechanism reference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqfEec9oono
Film clip of Eva playing Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxA94uSQ-t0
Audio system requirements
Multiple microphones in the first two performance areas (chanters use a stand-up microphone, and the second performance area is set up with stereo set microphones for bells).
Audio playback relies on multiple speakers, initially using surround sound playback.
Audio workstations to record live sound, implement a live loop and synchronise with lighting visuals.
Visual Design
Shutong Liu
The visual effect of the installation plays a key role in expressing and conveying emotions. Shutong Liu will use PS, AI, AE and other software to make full use of the relevant display media to carry out the visual design of the installation, including but not limited to the creative design and execution of the interactive colours, animation effects and graphic design content in the installation, using the installation as a carrier to control the appearance of the art, to achieve visual and layout consistency, conveying the ambient spiritual world that the design concept is intended to convey.
Future expectations
Feb 14 Plan Submission
Feb 15-Feb 28 Design Iteration
The team will review the existing design during this period to determine the details and logic of the design. The design will be supplemented with possible shortcomings so that the audience can have a more complete and perfect experience during the installation.
Mar 1-Mar 14 Arduino & Processing Design
We will design and implement the technical and visual design of the Processing and Arduino sensor part based on the design concept as of March 1. We will also refine the design with feedback from Submission 1 and each catch-up to ensure that the final design will be completed on schedule.
We will also complete the design of some of the visual installations during this period.
Preliminary completion of the sound design in the installation.
Mar 15-Mar 29 Design Integration
Complete all visual installation design and sound design.
Integrate the design of each part and debug the sensors and interaction effects.
Complete the set-up for the final week of internal display.
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