In 2016 time: space joined forces with local artists Milenko Pravčki, Joshua Yang and Hilmi Johandi. The result was a transdisciplinary work where sculptures were sonified, the performance of drawing came to musical fruition and the music manipulates video.
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A Theatrical Approach to Collaboration
Dirk Stromberg
Representing Hearing Images & Seeing Sounds is, by its nature, a challenge. From the outset, I recognized that technology could bridge the gap in this transdisciplinary endeavor. My approach began by examining each artist’s work, searching for intersections that could bring the project’s title to life.
Several approaches proved significant in achieving this goal, particularly through the use of technology to integrate the works into a cohesive production.
Unraveling Sonic Drawings
I began working with sonic drawings in 2012 in collaboration with visual artist John Stewart Jackson. At the time, the process involved live manipulation of John’s pencil-and-paper drawings on a hollow wooden base that acted as a resonator. His highly physical and musically sensitive style produced compelling results that caught the attention of other artists and musicians. However, I felt the approach fell short—the sound emerged from the manipulation of the material rather than as a direct result of the artist’s gestures. I wanted sonic drawing to function as a true transdisciplinary musical instrument.
This idea became the foundation of my process: a sonic drawing instrument that would process the original signal of the drawing through analysis of the artist’s physical and sonic gestures.
In 2016, during an artist residency at Sloss Furnaces, I revisited the concept with John as part of a site-specific production called Convergence. This full-scale production combined dance, visual arts, and music, with sonic drawing as a central element. For this iteration, three visual artists created marks on large, suspended sheets of metal. Their performances were physical, animated, and musically sensitive, and the metal sheets produced a broad sonic palette. This shift—from pencil on wood to marker on metal—allowed the sonic drawing process to achieve the autonomy I had envisioned.
For Hearing Images & Seeing Sounds, sonic drawing emerged as the ideal way to embody the project’s concept. However, the medium presented new challenges: the marker-on-glass approach resulted in a lack of sonic diversity and a low threshold between the noise floor and the audio signal. In response, I developed the software further, incorporating more robust noise-masking algorithms and enhanced audio analysis tools. These improvements expanded the instrument’s sonic range and allowed it to accommodate more delicate and monochromatic mediums while maintaining the integrity of a sonic drawing instrument.
The process of adapting to these challenges ultimately led to greater artistic success. The instrument became not only autonomous but also more versatile, achieving a broader sonic palette and greater portability across mediums.
The Box
One of the project’s pivotal moments involved a collaboration with Milenko, who described his sculptures as “dictionaries of materials.” My goal was to sonify one of his works using a similar concept. Fortunately, Robert Casteels had already recorded Milenko creating the sculpture—sawing Styrofoam, drilling wood, and working with other materials.
The sculpture I worked on was a monolithic piece composed of multiple layers of material. It was mounted on wheels, meaning the computer, amplifier, and speakers all had to be integrated into the sculpture itself. None of the materials were conductive, so a direct interface with electronics was impossible. However, the sculpture featured a wooden box with holes at its center, which became the key to integrating sound and interaction.
This section of the sculpture, which I began calling The Box, was outfitted with a sound system, computer, and capacitance sensors built into the holes. These sensors enabled human interaction with the piece.
Deciding how the technology would behave within The Box was the most challenging part of the process. Building a synthesizer didn’t align with the sculpture’s concept of a dictionary. Instead, I designed a playback system for the recorded sounds of Milenko’s work, paired with a simple manipulation interface. This solution expanded the sculpture’s sonic palette while reflecting Milenko’s artistic vision.
Hilmi Johandi
Hilmi Johandi played a vital role in integrating Robert’s vision into the project. His video work and our discussions about the exhibition’s themes led to several breakthroughs in breaking down disciplinary boundaries.
The most significant outcome of our collaboration was a video Hilmi created of Joshua Yang assembling Milenko’s sculpture, which houses The Box. This video became a centerpiece of the show, unveiling aspects of the sculpture and the drawing process frame by frame. Hilmi wanted the video to respond dynamically to Robert’s performance on the Sphere.
Together, we devised a control network that allowed the video to react to the pitch of Robert’s playing. This interactive element gave the audience a clear way to experience the exhibition’s theme—hearing images and seeing sounds.
A Production
Beyond its role as an exhibition, Hearing Images & Seeing Sounds needed to function as a live production. This presented unique challenges but also opportunities for elegance and innovation in performance.
I approached the production with a theatrical mindset. Theater has developed a deep culture of efficient and seamless show-running, which became essential given the complexity of this project. The performance relied on six computers—most stationed locally—requiring a networked system for remote interaction and synchronization.
The network became the backbone of the production, enabling real-time interaction between various artistic elements. For example, one computer could process audio or video from another, creating a seamless and dynamic performance. This infrastructure tied together the diverse components of the project, allowing it to flow as a cohesive tapestry of sound, image, and time.
Dirk Johan Stromberg 
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