Reading Response 5: Cosmic Consciousness – Celine Yu

Reflection:

Compared to prevailing themes at the time, brothers John and James Whitney wanted to embrace a new cosmic film experience through the implementation of new technology. Their creations through the motions of a pendulum allowed the duo to produce sounds and synchronized images that were electronic and aggressive yet inexplicably linked to one another. With a strong belief in Eastern metaphysics, the brothers combined the forces of art and science to create a new form of visual music. Ultimately, the Whitneys’ success in cosmic cinema acted as inspiration for the works of San Francisco-based Jordan Belson. Similar to John and James, Belson also held a strong belief in the importance of Eastern metaphysics on his own art. Both the Whitneys and Belson wished to eliminate any association with the real world by replacing it with the truths that lay not in the natural world but in fact the mind. Through their visual art, they strived to create ideal worlds, ones that constantly explored “uncharted territory beyond the known world” (132) as a means of reaching an abstract perspective.

Following in his seniors’ footsteps, Belson also strived towards the cosmic dimension. However, unlike the Whitneys who focused solely on the usage of new technology, Belson found that he could achieve the best results by combining the technologies of the past and future (old/new). To him, the combination consisted of standard animation, optical printing, lasers as well as liquid crystals. With these techniques, Belson created features that seemed to spring from natural phenomena, never using “images that bespoke of their origins” (148), whereas the Whitney brothers prioritized the scientific curiosity of atomic energy in visual music. This difference allowed the Whitneys to render their image down to its most foundational state, a point of light. With this atomic language, John and James were able to create and shape imagery that weaved together the aspects of high art, science as well as spirituality through congruent masterpieces of visual music. 

The Vortex Concert series, one of its first kind to tour over 100 performances incorporated innovative audiovisual performances that immersed its audience members through groundbreaking forms that altered their consciousness to a greater extent. The shows seemed to offer a level playing field in which high art and popular culture could coexist together alongside the abstract and the representation to form impactful sensations. This ideal synaesthetic experience of The Vortex Concert series was, however, not the only existing experiment conducted to further the concept of visual music. From Elias Romero’s percussion-based and liquid abundant shows to the electronic and vibrant Happenings of Sonics, the light show phenomenon spread rapidly across Europe and the U.S. The acceptance of deep immersion and sensory overload as a willing recipient has crossed centuries, as visual music continues to thrive as a cultural phenomenon throughout modern pop culture. References to these pioneering light-shows of the 1960s can still be found in various pop concerts and rave events whose goals are to blur the distinction between auditory and visual senses for all of its viewers and listeners. 

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