CYMATIC: Patterns of the Pentatonic by Erika Weitz and Thomas Noya builds upon three centuries of technological innovation and image-making. Bridging between wet plate collodion photography—one of the earliest photographic processes of the 19th century—and generative art, an emergent digital artform, it resumes an ongoing dialogue that unites the digital and the analogue.
The project unfolds in two complementary parts: a curated series of five physical artworks presented at Paris Photo 2024 in tandem with a generative long-form series, where acquired editions are permanently preserved as unique digital artifacts on the blockchain.
The project is built on the frequencies of the five notes from the pentatonic scale. Cymatic resonance patterns, researched in the late 18th century, are visual representations of sound vibrations. These patterns occur when particles self-assemble into symmetrical shapes in response to specific frequencies. In CYMATIC, a custom code-driven system simulates these patterns and is used to create a permanent image via collodion photography. Coded light is projected onto a metal plate coated with light-sensitive chemicals, where the light exposure activates silver particles to form the image.
The work explores the hidden architecture of light and sound, revealing how a single phenomenon can manifest across multiple dimensions of human perception. The pentatonic scale plays into this concept and reinforces it—as it is one of music's most fundamental and universally resonant structures. In this manner the five artworks mirror the five notes of the pentatonic scale, each capturing a distinct resonant pattern. The digital collection echoes this, with each acquired edition capturing a pattern produced by one of the five notes.
CYMATIC embodies a dynamic interplay between historical and contemporary practices. In this setting, both the wet plate, and the code become playgrounds for creative expression and experimentation, where the artists lean into the unexpected surprises that occur during the art-making process, and engage in a dialogue with their respective mediums.
This project was presented by fxhash for Paris Photo 2024 as part of the Digital Sector curated by Nina Roerhs.
First five pieces from the generative long-form series are reserved for the collectors of the five physicals showcased at the fair.
🌐 Browser Compatibility • Optimized for Google Chrome
⌨️ Controls • S : Save current frame as PNG
🔧 URL Parameters • ?size=0 : Window size or minimum 1800px (whichever is larger) • ?size=3 : 3000x3000px • ?size=4 : 4000x4000px • ?size=5 : 5000x5000px
REDEEMING A WET PLATE COLLODION PHYSICAL
To redeem a photographic wet plate of the note and inquire about the associated costs please contact sales@fxhash.xyz before the 15th of January 2025. All wet plates from CYMATIC are handcrafted by Erika Weitz in Los Angeles, CA and shipped in March 2025.
Erika Weitz & Thomas Noya, 2024
