HANDMADE PAPER > CYMATICS

Sound Narrative/purple
Sound Narrative/purple

As I ride my bike through the forest I know there is a song—a song of the trees, the rocks, the earth—a melody, a frequency I’m not yet privy to. When I saw the cymatics physics experiment of sand dancing on a metal plate, affected by the frequency and amplification of sound, I wondered if there was a connection. I knew I had to investigate.


A two-week summer residency at Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper afforded me the opportunity to explore cymatics through papermaking in state of the art facilities with a supportive staff and dedicated, hard working yet sensitive assistant, Lauren Dubeau. Additionally the Illinois rep. for Pasco helped me in obtaining the equipment that I needed to perform these experiments, and a gracious and mechanically minded neighbor, Frank Suzda, stepped in to facilitate the technical aspects. (I can barely navigate the VCR.) Curtis Johnson professionally documented the process. Family, friends, neighbors and strangers listened, reflected and ultimately assisted in the making of this work—a reminder that we are not alone—our work, our lives are shaped through a harmonious connection with others. Jeff Volk who works with Sound Healing and has done extensive work in the field of cymatics reminded me to consider my own vibration in the making of this work, to consider intention through visualization and the “space” in which the work is made—”Cymatics at its finest (etheric) level.”


The excitement of touching on what seems like a portal to the universe, vibrational energy made visible—