My process always starts with visuals. It can be a colour palette, it can be a textile, it can be a room or a time of the day. Usually a combination of all of the above.
This project revolves around themes of pleasure, addiction, restraint and broadly our relationships with our bodies.
There is a movie that immediately comes to mind. Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria (2018). I remember watching this movie a few years ago and feeling like I’ve been imagining it forever. The dance, the silhouettes, the colours, and now I realise, the sound. It’s a movie you can somehow smell. And much of that effect is due to the sound design.
The dance scenes are the most remarkable sound-wise. Grasping breaths, stomps, swooshes and, I think, leather. Wood and leather?
I intend to start the piece with a similar sequence as a rhythmical, percussive bit.
How do I get the stomps?
A few jumps around the house later. I am pretty sure I won’t be able to achieve the same effect with the floors in my house. I recorded a leather bag and some whooshing shirts. Some breaths. I noticed foley artists wearing rubber gloves when recording crunchy sounds. Will try that next. Maybe it would give the sound a fleshier quality?
I tried adding some slashing sounds recorded by cutting a watermelon.
The main point of interest in this would be spatialisation. For that I need to decide the movements I wanna depict first. I also suspect the original clip makes use of reversed sounds.
I found it hard to achieve the right tone. I’m still searching.
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I started this post hours ago with the sole intention of pointing out references and inspiration sources. The main thought I had was how similar in aesthetics and feeling this movie is to Louise Bourgeois’ work. Theme-wise as well. They both deal with motherhood, childhood, sexuality and I’d say broadly love. I wonder if Luca Guadagnino is aware of Bourgeois.
Is it what they call Bauhaus?
