Art, Science + Technology
DMA9 Fall 2007, Section BArchive for October 13, 2007
W2: Perspective and Rock
Can everyone perceive depth?
The contemporary individual is raised in a world consisting of straight lines and angles, which helps them learn and develop depth perception. A variety of environmental cues also help us perceive depth, size, etc. We all tend to assume that everyone in the world sees in the same way. However, certain psychology studies have proved that this assumption is inaccurate. In Deregowski’s 1972 cross cultural study on Pictorial perception and culture, Deregowski found that “pictures are not a lingua franca, as different cultures are often unused to the use of perspective or 3D drawings.” One experiment conducted by Deregowski involved presenting a two-pronged trident to 2D and 3D perceiving individuals. All participants were asked to reproduce the paradoxical trident after a short viewing of it. The 2D perceivers (unsophisticated Zambians) had a relatively easy time reproducing the trident because they did not notice the confusing cues present in the trident. On the otherhand, the 3D perceivers found reproducing the trident difficult because to them, the figure presented was an ‘impossible figure’.
( Wikipedia: Deregowski’s Cross-Cultural Study on Perception )
Is math a required part of Math Rock?
Math is not a required component to create math rock. In fact, this genre of ‘noise rock’ was named math rock by critiques. This is due to the “frequently uses asymmetrical time signatures such as 7/8, 11/8, or 13/8.” The complex rhythms in the music prompted listeners and critics to state that the music had a ‘mathematical’ character. Math Rock tends to be a blend of rock, heavy metal, progressive rock and punk rock. Although it can fit into either of these genres, its frequent change of time signatures from section to section sets it apart as math rock.
However, even though math is not a vital aspect of math rock, some artists may deliberately utilize mathematics in their music. “They [may] manipulate, twist and syncopate to confuse, to delay, to create something that is a twist on rock, punk, or pop.”
Math, Perspective, Time, and Space
How are all of these topics related?
Math, perspective, time, and space are all related. For example, we did an activity on Wednesday on how they are related. We drew on a piece of paper what we saw outside that had a focus point. Depending on where someone in space stands, their perspective on what something looks like changes. And where they are standing, has a mathematical relation because someone can measure the distance of where someone in space is standing, in respect to how something looks.
In this picture, the stairs look like the steps are getting smaller, but this is all because of the perception. It is because of the distance (math part) between the eyes and the steps, and the farther away something is, the smaller it is. The time has to do with the concept of infinity. Obviously, the “farther” can go farther and farther away into infinity, and it will contine and contine to get smaller, but it will not disappear. So the stairs can build on and on, into infinity, and the step will look smaller but the stair will never disappear.
This is hyperbolic space. In this circle(geometry=math), the lines branch out farther and farther(distance=math) (space) out into infinity (time), until it gets really small(perspective), but the area will never disappear.
How does Math Rock relate to the subject we are studying?
Math rock always sounds to normal people like it does not have a set of continuous beat. This is because while regular rock bands play on 4/4 beat, math rock changes meters on groups of 2 or 3. They are not playing music just for the purpose of playing music, but they intellectually manipulate the beats to have a significant mathematical purpose behind their music. They add a little “twist” to just any rock, with their complex meters, by using time signatures like 7/8, 11/8, or 13/8.
http://www.fenkefeng.org/essaysm18004.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbolic_space
http://www.theiff.org/oexhibits/oe1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_rock
http://www.epitonic.com/index.jsp?refer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epitonic.com%2Fgenres%2Fmathrock.html
