Syncope #3

Video

Image: Evelyn Schubert
Sound: Guido Canziani Jona

“The human mind delights in finding pattern — so much so that we often mistake coincidence or forced analogy for profound meaning. No other habit of thought lies so deeply within the soul of a small creature trying to make sense of a complex world not constructed for it.”

In musical context the term syncope means an unexpected variation in the rhythm. It describes a disruption of an otherwise harmonious system. This video play with the concept of harmony in the sense that harmony is the balance between temperate tension and tensionless uniformity. Harmony arises where chaos merges with order.

Shot in Berlin with color 16mm analog film, this piece uses long exposure and stop motion to challenge traditional perceptions of harmony. The color adds a new layer to the exploration of chaos merging with order, showcasing how the introduction of variability (color) can enhance the understanding of pattern and rhythm in our surroundings. The musical pattern, that the pictures describe, was later translated into sound by Guido Canziani Jona.