My work centers around providing visual accompaniment to music. The overarching principal that guides this work is that audio should be visualized in ways that look “complex, but organic.”
ARTIST BIO
Permian Strata is a Brooklyn-based artist who specializes in performing visual accompaniment to live music. He uses diverse methods for generating content, such as TouchDesigner, hardware video synths, and underwater photography. Most recently, he created a UI for mixing between different TouchDesigner patches in real time.
- Instagram: permianstrata
What Is one belief, insight, or idea that guides your creative process?
My work centers around providing visual accompaniment to music. The overarching principal that guides this work is that audio should be visualized in ways that look “complex, but organic.”
Can you tell us how you discovered Mixed art and what drew you into it?
While watching experimental films in college, I thought “these would look great behind a band.” Years later, I unexpectedly had the opportunity to project video at a music event. This meant that I had to create a lot of video content very quickly, and I found that the best option was to generate it.
What do you think defines your style or creative approach, and how did you arrive at that identity?
I ask myself “If I could see this music, what would it look like?” The answer is sometimes liquid, smoke, a mountain range, a school of fish, a field of flowers, to name a few examples. I suppose you could describe all of these things as “natural systems.”
How does a project usually begin for you? Do you have a creative ritual or structure you follow?
I start by either following a tutorial or coming up with my own broad framework for a generative system. Then I pick a song and tweak the parameters of the system until the output matches the rhythm, structure, and aesthetic of that song.
What tools or technologies do you use most, and how do they influence your visual language?
I use TouchDesigner for most projects these days. It feels like the tool I have been looking for my whole life. The fact that I can view the output in real time as I work means that I can work improvisationally. It makes the process of creation as natural and fluid as playing a musical instrument.
Do you feel there Is a strong generative art scene? What would you like to see evolve in it
There are a lot of amazing generative artists in NYC, and I would love to see more cross-collaboration between those artists and all of the musicians, DJs, and event promoters in the city.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start creating generative art but doesn’t know where to begin?
I would recommend that everyone download TouchDesigner and follow some of the tutorials that are available on YouTube.
Which artists or creators do you think are doing remarkable work and deserve much more recognition?
I would like to shout out…
