Sierpiński [Disquiet0348] by Suss Müsik

In 1978, a young animator named Louis Carpenter used computer-generated fractal geometry to draw complex objects in three-dimensional space. He started with a pyramid, dividing each of its triangular sides into smaller shapes and repeating the process indefinitely. You can see the output of Carpenter’s efforts in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, the first feature film to contain a computerized sequence using this method. Now you know.

Evidence of fractal geometry can be found everywhere throughout the natural world, from the branching of trees to the human cardiovascular system. Taken in this context, mise en abyme might reasonably be considered the most organic of creative practices. Some consider the craft to be nothing more than a recursive gimmick: M.C. Escher on a coffee mug. Yet if one were to view ultrasound images comparing the vascular structures of healthy organs against those riddled with tumors, the significance of fractal repetition can be creatively inspiring.

For this piece, Suss Müsik played a simple piano/violin phrase and split it into smaller “shapes” to be looped through various effects modules. Every sound heard in this piece is derived from the original using some combination of ring modulators, glitch/swell effects, low-pass filters, digital reverb/delays, and a bit of tube amp distortion. The subdivided sonic “shapes” grow smaller and smaller until rendered inaudible.

The piece is titled Sierpiński in honor of Waclov Sierpiński’s recursive process in which a shape is subdivided into smaller versions of itself. The image is one side of a crystal polyhedron.

More on this 348th weekly Disquiet Junto project (Hot Mise en Abyme / The Assignment: Make a piece of music inspired by the art-historical term for fractal/recursion) at:

https://disquiet.com/0348/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements here:

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Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co:

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0348-hot-mise-en-abyme/15824

There’s also a Junto Slack. Send your email address to twitter.com/disquiet to join in.