To Ruth Vulto Gaube form and sound are one and the same. While she is listening to music, she can experience three-dimensional forms and every three-dimensional form she sees she can associate with a sound or music.  For many years she has been working on a translation of sounds and themes related to music into sculptures to make sounds visible and tangible and share her own experiences with others

The project tone-intervals is an example of this work. You can find more sound-sculptures in the sculpture summary.

 

Tone intervals in form

Unison – Second – Third – Fourth – Fifth – Sixth – Seventh – Octave

Each tone interval has its own character.

To me it is normal to experience the step from one tone to the other in space and form. But will it also be possible for me to make this step and the character connected to the interval visible to others?

  • In which way are the steps between the tones, the proportions and the character connected to each other?
  • Can sounds be seen?
  • How can I share my synesthetic experience with others?
  • And will there perhaps be a connection between the character of the tone intervals and character of the 7 classical planets, in the way they were seen by the old philosophers and alchemists?

In my search for information about intervals I noticed astonishing analogies.

 

Unison

Resting in itself. No dynamic in a specific direction. Uniform radiance in all directions

Planet: Saturn
Metal:  Lead
Shape: Smooth, even vaulting with a tangible potential

 

Second

First step, still hesitating and unfinished. Compared with a walk, it is lifting up your leg to take a step – a situation, which cannot be kept.

Planet: Sun
Metal:  Gold
Shape: Broken up vaulting, the rupture is not on a harmonious place, unsatisfying

 

Third

First encounter between the tone below and above. Will there be an exchange? A harmonic and dynamic connection?

Planet: Moon
Metal:  Silver
Shape: Two halves slide to each other, dynamic surfaces with related movement

 

Fourth

Confrontational, agitating, offensive, strong and alarming

Planet: Mars

Metal:  Iron
Shape: Massive shape with four edges, which come together to one point

 

Fifth

Friendly, active and harmonic shape, which follows the rules of the golden ratio

Planet: Mercury
Metal:  Mercury
Shape: Very harmonic, dynamic, rising, following the golden ratio

 

Sixth

Metamorphic fourth – calling, activating, expectant, full of joy, uprising and dissonant

Planet: Jupiter
Metal:  Tin
Shape: Very dynamic, uprising, stretched

 

Seventh

Seducing, dangerous, dissonant, forcing to change, leaping for a big jump

Planet: Venus
Metal:  Copper
Shape: Pushing, unbalanced, unbearable state, no more intensification possible, the next step has to be rest

 

Octave

Elevated unison – the circle is closed

 

The reliefs have to be seen together, forming a row or circle, so the metamorphosis, the development from one interval to the next can be seen and experienced.

Underneath the metal relief-disc (with a diameter of about 75 cm) I want to put a monochord to make it possible to play and hear the interval, which is given form in bronze.