About this project
Who am I and why do I want to create a cymatics app?
My name is Jodina Meehan, I am a cymatic artist working in Southern Vermont. My project is called "CYMATICA: The Hidden World Of Visible Sound" and what I want to do is create the first ever cymatics app for the iphone and ipad.
The reason I want to do this project is so that people all around the world can experience the amazing world of cymatics for themselves.
What is cymatics?
Cymatics is the art and science of visual sound - but not like the visual sound you've probably seen in computer generated "soundscapes" and so on.
As you can see in the video above, when sound is applied to real-world physical objects, such as metal, sand, wood, and even water, it allows you to actually see the shape of the sound right in front of your eyes. This is called cymatics.
One of the most incredible things about cymatics is that you can actually see very similar patterns in the natural objects that surround us every day - for example the pattern created by a flower or a turtle's shell or a snowflake can look exactly like a geometric pattern created by sound.
What will the cymatics app do?
As a cymatic artist I work with this amazing phenomenon every day with my metal plates and my voice; what I want to do with the app is make it so that everyone can create cymatic shapes with their handheld phone or ipad.
The app is in design phase right now, and I have had many great suggestions from my readers at the Journal of Cymatics (thanks guys!!) for how the app could work and what should be included...
Some of the functions I want to include in version 1 are:
- the ability to "see" your voice by singing into the app
- the ability to play an instrument into it and see the music you make visually
- be able to record your cymatic designs and send them to friends or post them online
- have the app "listen" to your environment and show you it's sound geometry
- a library of "how-to" instructions so you can make your own cymatics devices
- see what frequency a sound or cymatic design is connected to
- the first version will be sand and salt-based cymatics
- the second version will include water-based cymatics (yes there is a second version already planned!)
What's needed to create the app?
I've already had great input from the cymatics community on what you want in a cymatics app - all I need now is to meet our project goal in the next 30 days so that I can focus on app development and go into the studio to film the cymatics footage professionally. (I usually film my footage myself with a little flip cam but I want the filming for the app to be done with a pro setup).
Of the $20,000 about 3/4 of that will go to app development and the rest will go to filming the cymatics and also to fulfill and ship the rewards for all our backers (that's you!)
What do you get for helping with this project?
You can get one (or all) of the great cymatics perks and prizes listed to the right...including some very rare cymatics equipment for making your own cymatics images that I've never offered to anyone else before...check it out!
You'll also be doing a wonderful thing by spreading the word about this little-known phenomenon and helping to get the first cymatics app out there for the public. Let's tell the world about cymatics, it's really cool!
What's my previous experience with cymatics?
If you're wondering, here's my artist CV and what I've done in the field so far...
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Jodina Meehan is a cymatic artist and educator working out of Brattleboro, Vermont USA. She has been working exclusively in the medium of cymatics, or sound waves made visible, for 5 years.
Previous Experience:
Creation of cymatic instruments and art pieces— 2006-2011
- Built Chladni style bow and plate instrument based on plate used by Ernst Chladni in the 1700’s.
- Designed and built “cymatic voicebox” for creation of visual patterns using the human voice.
- Designed and built “cymatic violin” handheld cymatic plate instrument.
- Created large 5x5’ metal panels as well as 12x12 metal panels with fixed cymatic designs, as well as videos of cymatics.
Publisher, online journal of cymatics — 2007-2011 - Founder and editor of the online Journal of Cymatics, publishing cymatics news and how-tos. Readers in over 300 countries, registered subscribers over 1000.
Founder, online school of cymatics — 2008-2011 - Founder of world’s first School of Cymatics, providing education, how-tos and networking for students of cymatics. Current registered membership 227.
Cymatics commission for Cirque Du Soliel— 2010 - Worked with Pedro Pires to create cymatics film piece for Cirque Du Soleil, currently on tour for 10 years in Cirque Du Soleil show TOTEM. Film of salt cymatics on metal, projection size 20’x20’
Referrals:
“Thanks for your collaboration on this experiment! I'm very impressed!Your last clip looks great and promising for what we need...Keep on the good work!” - Pedro Pires, Director of Visual Effects The Red Violin, Image Content Designer TOTEM
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You can take a look at my Journal of Cymatics site here and School of Cymatics site here (but don't forget to choose your pledge and reserve your cymatics app right here first! :-)
The THANK YOU, YOU'RE AWESOME list:
A big thank you to Eric Larson and John Reid for their help and advice on cymatics technology and science. Thank you to Sara Meehan and Danny Frank for the photo shoots in my studio; and to Grady Smith for filming the cymatic violin. Thanks to Alexander Lauterwasser and Mandara Cromwell for your kind correspondence over the years, and to Cirque Du Soliel for the opportunity to showcase a cymatics project worldwide. Thank you to my husband Tellman for all your support and help with this project. Also, thanks to all my readers at the Journal and the School of Cymatics for giving me such great advice on what to put in the app, you guys are awesome! And last but not least, thank YOU (that's you, the person on the other side of the screen) in advance for supporting my project - I can't wait to get it finished so that you can try out the app for yourself!
Thank you for taking a look at my project! I will be posting updates and more cymatics videos coming soon...
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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Funding period
- (30 days)