I have been reading Wassily Kandinsky's book Point and Line to Plane (Dover 1973), or should I say I am re-trying to re-read it. I am completely fascinated by the content but at times find myself struggling to follow the somewhat obscure terminology Kandinsky created in explaining his thoughts on what he called the 'Science of Art'.
Divided into two main lines of thinking, Kandinsky independently discusses 'point' and 'line' in the role of nature, music and other art. He later develops the idea of point and line into a unique visual language. His interests are close to mine, especially with regards to his visual interpretation of music.
In my own work I have long been contemplating point. My personal associations with point are: origin, energy, focus, balance, centeredness, sensibility but most of all as it presents itself in counterpoint music. The basis of counterpoint is 'point against point' which results in melodic interaction (as opposed to chords). I am less interested in melody than I am in chaos, so the visual output would be open to interpretation by a musician or a dancer ...
In my SonicSketch Project I am drawing sounds (voice / environmental / music) through automated gesture. Currently, I am extracting 'points' from these drawings and transferring them on to a glass surface. I am thinking of introducing silver for the association that it holds.
Perhaps this will once again become music as point = sound.
