Pictures of Sound

Creative Technologist · Interaction Designer

Context

Pictures of Sound explores how sound can be experienced visually through data. The project transforms unstructured audio information — frequency and amplitude — into generative visual landscapes that resemble abstract maps. Using real-time sound analysis, it draws continuous Brownian paths whose color and length respond to variations in the audio signal. The resulting images evoke topographies of sound, inviting reflection on how perception can shift across senses and mediums.

Challenge

How can we reimagine the perception of sound beyond hearing?

The project investigates how data visualization and generative art can make the intangible qualities of sound perceptible, spatial, and emotional. A microphone captures frequency and amplitude data, which is organized into ranges that determine motion and color parameters — converting audio signals into visual rhythm.

Outcome

Pictures of Sound presents an evolving generative composition that renders sound as dynamic drawings, blurring the boundaries between listening and seeing. Each visualization becomes a “portrait of sound” — unique to its moment and location. Future iterations explore retrieving color palettes from each environment, treating context itself as an interaction parameter and extending the system into immersive formats (AR or physical installations), enabling users to step inside the visualization and experience sound as spatial form.