Deaf artist illustrates sound
0 - 0 • Published 11 Jun 2009 06:00
0 Comments
Share this
A DEAF sculptor from North Berwick is causing a stir in the art world with his pioneering bid to "visualise sound".
Born with congenital neural deafness, Horatio Thomas Lawson, 22, is due to graduate with a BA Sculpture from Edinburgh College of Art later this month, having honed his craft at the prestigious school since 2005.
Horatio is the only wholly deaf student to graduate from the university in 2009 and his innovative portfolio - based on the theme of "sound works" - will be seen by about 2,000 visitors later this month at an end-of-year showcase.
A seasoned night owl on the Edinburgh club scene, Horatio experiences music and its rhythmic pulse physically through vibrations and has tried to reproduce that sensation visually in his final college exhibition.
'My idea is to show people that sound can be seen but also show people what it"s like to feel vibrations,' he said.
'Most people don"t realise you have another sense, they just hear instead of using their sense to feel the sound and vibrations,' said Horatio, who lives in Dirleton Avenue and attended North Berwick High School.
'I have always been intrigued and fascinated by sound and how it impacts on my life.
'My work is an attempt to visualise sound as image and to try and demonstrate how I perceive sound using vibration to paint with colour and charcoal, and also to create sound patterns by pulsing sound waves through liquid.'
A visual demonstration of how Horatio experiences sound is manifest in his degree exhibition piece on the concept of "cymatics"- the study of wave phenomenon.
One highly evocative example features a box filled with polystyrene balls with four speakers mounted at each corner. The feather-light balls appear to dance to the musical rhythms emitted through the speakers due to sound vibration, similar to how Horatio himself appreciates music.
The talented artist is considering reading a masters in film and TV studies in the US or London.
The "Degree Show" launches tomorrow (Saturday) and runs until June 23 at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
