Eric Acuña
Resonant Architectures: Transmission
Materials
Plastic cover, Steel frame, Magnets, Mineral oil, Iron fillings, SDR Satellite, various cables, Audio amplifier, Sound transducers
Year
2023
The fascinating world of cymatics—the study of visible sound and vibration. Long before modern technology allowed us to "see" sound waves on digital screens, curious minds discovered that sound could physically shape the world around us. From Leonardo da Vinci noticing geometric patterns in vibrating dust to Ernst Chladni bowing metal plates covered in sand in the 18th century, history shows that sound is not just something we hear, but a powerful force that organizes matter.
In this introductory project, I focused on transforming low-range acoustic frequencies into geometric art, establishing a foundation for understanding wave phenomena in sound through an intriguing question: Why can radio waves penetrate walls while light cannot?
The answer lies in scale-- this project explores that exact boundary between the seen and the unseen. By focusing on low-range frequencies, I am working with waves that possess immense physical presence and long wavelengths. In the electromagnetic spectrum, these long wavelengths allow radio waves to bypass physical barriers that trap visible light.
This work mirrors this phenomenon through an acoustic structure, using software to isolate sub-bass and low-end frequencies, I have allowed these dense, heavy sound waves to ripple through physical and digital mediums. The resulting geometric art visualizes the invisible forces that constantly penetrate our architecture, our bodies, and our everyday spaces, turning abstract physics into a visceral, visual experience.
Resonant Architectures is an interactive, site-specific installation that explores the translation of invisible acoustic energy into physical spatial structures. The work functions as a physical and cybernetic feedback loop, interrogating the boundaries between traditional, static architecture and responsive, generative environments.
The installation features a lightweight fabric canopy suspended from a minimalist geometric frame, creating a semi-permanent architectural vault that fills the gallery space. Positioned beneath this canopy is a custom-engineered cymatic apparatus connected to a floor-mounted guitar amplifier. When low-range acoustic frequencies are pushed through the system, the sound energy is funneled upward, forcing a fluid medium (water & iron fillings) inside a central dish to self-organize into intricate geometric patterns.
Simultaneously, these dense sub-bass frequencies generate physical air pressure and kinetic vibrations that cause the surrounding fabric structure to subtly shift and breathe. The invisible acoustic waves act as temporary, dynamic structural pillars. A vertical digital display on the perimeter captures and visualizes the micro-geometries of the vibrating medium, translating a raw physical phenomenon back into a live-data stream. By treating sound as a building material, the installation strips architecture of its rigid permanence, transforming the gallery into an active, constantly evolving dialogue between frequency, matter, and human perception. This work was created and specifically installed in a group exhibition titled: IM\MATERIAL CONCERNS\\\, as apart of the S.M.A.R.T project space at the 1906 Studio.
Beyond its original showcase, this period marked my second year of graduate school, where I was studying cymatics as a framework to identify meaning within the translation of energy through material. This fascination began with the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto, whose research into spiritual consciousness explored the significance of language, its origins, and its vibrational impact on water. By using high-speed photography to capture the crystallization of ice particles, Emoto’s work offered a deeper perspective on how we relate to water in our daily lives. Ultimately, this research helped me view ourselves as existing within a deeply interconnected universe—a space where thought, energy, and matter seamlessly intertwine, and where every grain of sand retains a memory of the cosmic frequency.
Figure 1 Sound Transformed Into Matter — A real-time, live-action demonstration of cymatics in action. Watch how low-frequency acoustic vibrations physically force water and particles to self-organize into structural geometries, visualizing the exact invisible forces we are harnessing in our interactive installation.
Fig. 2
1420.2222 mHz: Iron and Sound (5 minute study 2lbs of iron fillings)
Iron filings, radio frequency transducer, adhesive, paper
50 x 50
2023
This figure shows a dense accumulation of iron fillings suspended on BFK Rives paper The visual structure strongly mirrors the foundational geometry of the sound pattern. The dense configuration creates an asymmetrical, fluid icon. The fine, fibrous tendrils radiating outwards echo the "ink-in-water" logic of cymatic geometry. These design themselves reminded me of the Logograms created for the Heptapod language from the film Arrival., where entire sentences and nonlinear concepts are expressed instantaneously through a single, textured visual impression.
Fig. 4
10.016.000.400 mHz: Iron and Sound (10 minute study, 1 lb of iron fillings)
Iron filings, radio frequency transducer, adhesive, paper
50 x 50
2023
This figure shows a high-contrast detail of a iron formation, emphasizing the raw, granular textures that construct a circular form. This image highlights how physical fields can manipulate matter into complex semiotics. Much like the logograms in Arrival, which carry nuances of intent and emotion through subtle changes in their misty, structural weight, this figure documents how a raw energetic frequency translates directly into a tangible, language-like architecture.
Fig. 3 detail
1420.2222 mHz: Iron and Sound (20 minute study, 2 lbs iron fillings)
Iron filings, radio frequency transducer, adhesive, paper
50 x 50
2023
This figure captures a stark, circular alignment of iron fillings in closer detail. This formation directly illustrates the shifting borders that lack a defined beginning or end. The variable thickness of the dark perimeter and the scattered, explosive micro-filaments mimic the cinematic language's focus on simultaneous time, where complex ideas are projected as a single, holistic ring of information.
Fig. 3
1420.2222 mHz: Iron and Sound (20 minute study, 2 lbs iron fillings)
Iron filings, radio frequency transducer, adhesive, paper
50 x 50
2023
This figure captures a stark, circular alignment of iron fillings in closer detail. This formation directly illustrates the shifting borders that lack a defined beginning or end. The variable thickness of the dark perimeter and the scattered, explosive micro-filaments mimic the cinematic language's focus on simultaneous time, where complex ideas are projected as a single, holistic ring of information.
The Architecture of Time: Kinetic Peak to Settled Aftermath
The evolution of Iron and Sound across time documents a striking phase transition between the three studies, moving from raw energetic chaos to structured permanence. In the 5-minute study (Fig. 2), the composition captures the immediate, violent surge of the radio frequency transducer. The iron filings are frozen mid-flight, creating thousands of explosive, hair-like fibrous tendrils that bleed outward across the paper—a visual representation of acoustic energy aggressively tearing through space.
However, by the 20-minute mark (Fig. 3), the visual narrative shifts entirely to the aftermath of this sustained vibration. The chaotic, airborne filaments have collapsed, migrating and condensing under the prolonged influence of the magnetic and acoustic fields. What remains is a dense, high-contrast, circular ring that seals itself to the adhesive substrate. The fine, misty textures have solidified into a thick, planetary weight with a definitive central void. Through this prolonged exposure, the fleeting, invisible frequency permanently carves its own architectural monument onto the page, demonstrating that time and saturation turn active energy into fixed, physical artifact.
Fig. 4 installation detail
Resonante Architectures: Transmission
plastic fabric, steel frame, magnets, mineral oil, iron fillings, SDR amplifiers, various cables, sound transducers
2024
A massive, delicate fabric canopy mimics an architectural vault or dome. As the heavy sub-bass notes vibrate the apparatus and shift the air pressure inside the frame, the architectural fabric breathes and shifts, transforming a rigid geometry into a soft, responsive kinetic environment.