Math And Art

Making the Music Piece

In constructing the music piece for the representation of the art of origami in sound I made conscious decisions to ensure that there was a balance between the mathematical content of the piece and the musical result.

The musical notation is feed purely on the use of Huzita axioms in the construction of the origami crane. It is based on the fact that there are in essence 7 axioms that constrain origami.

In order to portray this I decided to use the keyboard and used the major keys of the keyboard from C-B (see diagram 1a.) This is located in my Visual Diary.

The Koto

The Koto is the national instrument of Japan. It is a string-based instrument that is made of wood and metal strings (13). There are sliders that control the tones omitted by the instrument. Plucking the strings on the board with fingers plays the instrument. In the case of the Koto there is a particular favour to the thumb index and the middle finger. These plucking techniques have very similar properties to those used in guitar pieces.

The Koto was selected as the main instrument I my music piece to represent the origami folds of the crane because of its heritage in being the national instrument of Japan and also because of the authentic sound it gives that allows the image of the peaceful and serene heritage of the roots of origami to be portrayed ideally.

The Ocarina

The Ocarina is an instrument from the wind family. It has a number of varieties and is not secluded to being one shape. In appearance the ocarina can be compared to the sweet potato. The Ocarina consists of a main valve in which the player blows into in a fashion similar to instruments such as the flute.

The Ocarina has links to both China and Japan as one of the original wind like instruments in the orient. Its Sound is a journey of the people in which use it and in depth allows the audience to be transformed to another era in time.

Understanding Origami Sound Sequencing

Within origami there are 6 axioms that where formally put to paper by the Japanese Mathematician/Engineer Huzita. These 6 axioms govern the fold possibilities associated with flat paper squares.

As the fold that are incorporated in the construction of th paper crane take place there is a number that is written on the piece of paper based on the fold implication within the HUZITA axiom

For example

1 1 1 3 4 2 6 3 5 2

This would imply that the first three folds in the construction of our piece are all folds made using rules from axiom 1. The next fold made in the paper will then have its implication to the huzita axioms recorded and thus the trend is continued until full completion of the piece.

By using this method of recording we leave ourselves with raw numeric data in the form of number patterns. These numbers become raw data that is specifically taken from the creative process involved in the construction of the crane and throughout the rest of the project will move further into the direction of its use to find alternative uses in other art forms through the translation of this raw data.

The Ocarina 

In the midst of switching between my studies towards my eventual projects towards both the math and art sector of the course and the sound ( Aural Terrain) design based course i came across a beautiful traditional japanese wind instrument which i hope to incorprate into my math and art piece... It suttle sound and harmoies are to die for and its rather unknown status sets it as a new friend of mine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb3IPGR_TAQ

To the window... To the wash

In the making of my origami based project i have decided to utilise the mathematical equations in origami and paper making. As each fold is made in the construction of the crane there is a mathematicall equation that takes place based on the huzita-Hatori Axioms.

In order to record this i will be looking at manipulating the paper with a number sensors that will active as folds are made.

Heres the basics for constructing the origami crane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpwnHpXUuow