Unless you’re one of the lucky (unlucky?) few who experience synesthesia, visualizing sound is typically the province of imagination. For centuries, however, scientists have been experimenting with making sound and vibration visible by way of exciting media like liquids and particles. It’s a recognized field of science that Swiss medical doctor and pioneer Hans Jenny, named cymatics.
Today, the application of cymatics is wide-reaching and includes artists and DIY experimenters alike looking to uncover the nature of sound–often resulting in great eye candy. Cymatics is also increasingly being applied in fields as diverse as oceanography and sound healing.
The following is a mixed bag of 5 remarkable sound visualizations from around the world. (Note: Not all are exactly cymatics, but close enough.)
TED Talk - Evan Grant on cymatics
Evan Grant is a creative technologist and founder of Seeper, a collective pushing the envelope of interactive arts. In this TED video filmed last year in Oxford, England, Grant introduces the principle, history, applications and implications of cymatics.