Isocrony
EDITORIAL DESIGN / AUDIO VISUALIZATION
2024
Experimental zine exploring language cadence of syllable-timed romance languages through audio visualizers created using Max MSP/Jitter. Printed on 15 x 22.75'“ newsprint.
After studying abroad in Lisbon in the spring of 2023 I became obsessed with the idea of language cadences and the rhythms of spoken word. As Brazilians, we often receive comments from European Portuguese speakers that our dialect sounds “cantado” or sung. This concept got me thinking about how to visualize language rhythms across language groups.
I started by researching language cadences and how we measure these rhythmic divisions. Isocrony is the postulated rhythmic division of time into equal portions by a language. Most romance languages (Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian, Catalan, and Romanian) are syllable-timed languages meaning that they have an equal amount of time between syllables.
Using this framework I looked into meter poetry and chose 5 famous poems in each language to act as samples for the visualizations. I am fortunate enough to have friends and family that speak all of these languages and recorded samples of them reading out each poem. I then dove into audio visualizing software and experimented with different models of representing my recordings using Max Jitter/MSP.
Audio reactive attractor models and cymatics using jit.matrix
Ultimately documented a 3d terrain map I customized to fit my 5 languages. Linking frequency and pitch to various parameters in the map map. I photographed the projected visuals as they responded to the recordings to create the publication.
Final Posters/Spreads
FRENCH // ALEXANDRINE METER // PAUL VERLAINE, “CLAIRE DE LUNE”
PORTUGUESE // ALEXANDRINE METER // ALBERTO DE OLIVEIRA, “VASO GREGO”
CATALAN // ALEXANDRINE METER // SALVADOR ESPRIU, “UNA VELLA RESPOSTA”
ITALIAN // HENDECASYLLABLE METER // DANTE, “INFERNO: CANTE 1”
SPANISH // HENDECASYLLABLE METER //PEDRO CALDERÓN DE LA BARCA, “LA VIDA ES UN SUEÑO”