At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, an illuminating performance unfolds as violinist Audrey Wright collaborates with her husband Geoff Robertson in a mesmerizing display of light and sound. As Wright performs, she wears an intricate electronic garment composed of 46 display panels and over 3,000 LEDs. This attire converts synesthetic music into a vivid array of colors. Beside her, Robertson manipulates visual programs via a tablet, creating a vivid translation of sound into light.
The Interface of Light and Music: How the Garment Translates Synesthetic Music
Luminous Being, initiated by the couple in 2024, transforms as it joins forces with composer Stephanie Ann Boyd for the new work, PRISMBODY. This piece is rooted in Boyd’s synesthesia, a condition where music and color interconnect in the mind. The outfit leverages these connections, as Robertson describes the experience as akin to subtitles for music, where Wright’s playing merges with Boyd’s color associations to become a shared visual experience for the audience.
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The Garment: An Innovative Instrument That Translates Synesthetic Music
Robertson constructed the first Garment himself, incorporating 47 batteries and its own Wi-Fi network, allowing him to control the display in real-time. A microphone listens and reacts to Wright’s music, enhancing the visual effects as the performance unfolds. The system converts synesthetic music into light, with Robertson likening his role to a co-performer, controlling the visual symphony alongside Wright’s musical performance.
Building PRISMBODY: From Concept to Creation
PRISMBODY evolves Boyd’s intuitive color-music connections into an intricate compositional structure. Each movement corresponds with her unique perception of color, while Wright’s violin layers merge through loop pedals. Robertson adapts the original garment with RGB LEDs to capture the subtle hues Boyd envisions, transforming this attire into a more nuanced visual instrument. In doing so, this synesthetic music translation becomes a central aspect of the performance.
A 360-Degree Visual Experience
The second generation of the garment, Garment 2.0, is being developed to have fully wrap-around transparent display panels, creating a continuous visual surface. This development enhances the audience’s immersive experience, demonstrating how the apparel interprets synesthetic music in an even broader scope. Aligning with Robertson’s vision of performances that transcend the conventional stage settings, the audience at The Met witnessed the evolving project and engaged with a fundamental question: how can personal musical perception be translated into a shared visual experience?
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Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
How does Audrey Wright’s garment work at The Met?
Audrey Wright’s garment is composed of 46 display panels and over 3,000 LEDs, designed to convert synesthetic music into a vivid display of colors while she performs. The system includes a microphone that listens and reacts to her music, while her husband Geoff Robertson uses a tablet to control the visual programs in real-time, creating a synchronized display of sound and light.
What is the inspiration behind the project Luminous Being?
Luminous Being was initiated by Audrey Wright and Geoff Robertson in 2024 and involves a piece called PRISMBODY, created in collaboration with composer Stephanie Ann Boyd. The project is rooted in Boyd’s synesthesia, where music and color interconnect in the mind, allowing the garment to leverage these connections and transform musical performance into a shared visual experience.
How does the garment contribute to the performance?
The garment enhances the performance by translating synesthetic music into light, acting as a visual instrument that connects with Stephanie Ann Boyd’s color-music associations. It allows the audience to engage with the music in a new way by merging sound with vivid color displays, creating an immersive experience.