Images depicting our final outcome for Constructive Sound, an artistic depiction of different sounds generated across Manchester.

With the four unique sound waves produced and knotted to the frame for stability, we began to complete the structural frame. Adding wooden panels above and below our art piece would focus viewers directly on our art design, as opposed to the way it had been assembled.

Attaching the chiffon fabric to the nylon threads individually was a slow process. However, we had made a collective decision that we wanted to emphasise the delicate nature of our design, and only through the mass use of string could the effect be visible. This process of stitching was repeated for each new ‘wave’.

Fabrics were chosen for their translucency as we wanted viewers to easily contrast the different elements of our installation, looking through one ‘sound wave’ to another. We suspended 68 pieces of nylon wire from the top of our frame, before stitching each piece individually through the chiffon.
They were tied in a manner that created fabric waves, depicted the sound generated by the site.

We constructed the main frame of our design, from which our art installation would suspend from. The wooden pieces were laser cut for accuracy, and were supported and connected together with 25mm pieces of metal tubing.

As part of the events week we were asked to attend the Manchester Wakes: Workers at Play event at the Central Library. A diverse range of acts inhabited the Central Library, reimagining the building not as a quiet and studious space, but as a venue for spoken word, choirs, ukulele bands experimental soundscapes.

As a group we began to explore how we might visually convey the sound waves generated in an installation piece. We looked at the works of artists Maggey Casey and Anne Lindberg, drawing inspiration from their use of wire and fabric. Our final proposal drew from investigation of our sites, and aimed to convey the different motions and sound generated at these locations in one comprehensive artwork.

We reconvened and shared the information we had gathered as a group. As an initial output we diagrammed the sound produced, overlaying them on maps of our chosen sites. Each member of our group analysed a different noise quality produced on the space, supported by the recordings made on the previous day. We considered signal sounds, archetypal and keynotes sounds, semantic effects, and circulatory and human sounds.

Kitted with a wave and handy recorder, we began exploring the sites we had identified across the city. These two pieces of equipment allowed us to pick up and record sounds of varying intensity and specificity, each site generating sounds unique to their location. As a group we began to consider how we might visually illustrate these differences, and researched artistic interpretations of sound.

In our first events session we were provided with maps of Central Manchester, and were asked to consider the different quality in sound generated by different sites in the city. Having been provided with suggestions we then, in smaller groups, researched the spaces, and chose four sites that we expected to have contrasting acoustic qualities.