textiles +
graphic design
graphic design
Visual Research
Andean Textile Motifs
‘Spectra’ was initiated by my dissertation’s research into ancient textiles of the South American Andes (today’s Chile, Peru and Bolivia). Due to European colonisation of indigenous people (namely the Inkas and Mapuches amongst other groups), knowledge of the textiles’ symbolic meanings within academia remains undocumented. In the case of tunics worn by the Inka and Wari’s elite social classes, Ligmond speculates that the complex textile decorations were intended to be difficult to comprehend “so that only elites had access to meaning” (Ligmond, K. E. 2024. p.274).The Chilean Museum of Precolumbian Art speculates that the textiles convey senses including sounds and smells through visual narratives which combine abstract and figurative forms (MCDAP, 2018. p.53). This ancient example of synesthesia prompted me to create a collection which combines themes of sound visualisation with spiritual belief.
Washburn, D. K. & Crowe, D. W. (2004) “Symmetry Comes of Age”.
Accessed via The University of Edinburgh’s Main Library.
Accessed via The University of Edinburgh’s Main Library.
Rosslyn Chapel’s Musical Cubes
A sacred connection between sound and spirituality was discovered in Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh, wherein a guide shared the myth of “musical cubes” carved with geometric patterns hide musical notations created by the monks for choirs (Rosslyn Chapel, 2022). This myth was speculated by music composers Stuart and Thomas Mitchell who compared the Chapel’s patterns to cymatic shapes developed by German physician Ernst Chladni (1756–1827).
Another myth surrounding the chapel was the mysterious appearance of the Aloe Vera and Maize in the interior’s carvings. This mysterious knowledge of New World plants is speculated to be brought by vikings, ancestors of the chapel’s founder William Sinclair, on their trip to the American continent prior to Christopher Columbus. These ancient myths of sound visualisation and contact between continents led me to investigate the field of cymatics in combination with exploration of spirituality from my Latin American and British heritage.
Another myth surrounding the chapel was the mysterious appearance of the Aloe Vera and Maize in the interior’s carvings. This mysterious knowledge of New World plants is speculated to be brought by vikings, ancestors of the chapel’s founder William Sinclair, on their trip to the American continent prior to Christopher Columbus. These ancient myths of sound visualisation and contact between continents led me to investigate the field of cymatics in combination with exploration of spirituality from my Latin American and British heritage.
Chladni Cymatic Figures
The University of Edinburgh’s Special Collection granted access to an original copy of Chladni’s study of cymatics. Coined as ‘Chladni plates’, they were discovered by sprinkling sand on top of a metal plate, vibrated by varying sound frequencies which produce a geometric shape. The embellished intersections influenced my drawing at later stages. However, this book of static imagery does not show the motion of cymatic shapes forming, which I explored further.
Chaldni, E. (1809) ‘Treatise on Acoustics’. Accessed via The University of Edinburgh’s Special Collection.
Hans Jenny
Hans Jenny, the Swiss physicist who coined the term ‘cymatics’ developed the field further, connecting his field to personal spiritual belief: “Everything owes its existence solely and completely to sound. Sound is a factor which holds it together. Sound is the basis of form and shape. In the beginning was the word and the word was God. We are told this is how the world began and how creation took shape.”
Jenny’s work is notable for its video footage capturing cymatic shapes taking form, as opposed to Chladni’s plates which are static. I used Jenny’s video footage (sourced from Youtube), which was sped up and edited together for a projection of a psychedelic music concert by Edinburgh-based Aki Remali.
Scanned image from: Hans, J. (1967) ‘Cymatics: Waves and Vibrations, their Structure and Dynamics.’ Accessed via discovered.ed.ac.uk.
Video Experimentation
This video was edited and sped up by me, using footage of Hans Jenny’s scientific experiments found on Youtube.
Video source: “Cymatics: Bringing Matter To Life With Sound”.
The video was then used as a concert projection for Aki Remali’s concert at Wee Red Bar (23rd November 2025) at an event organised by the University’s Fungi and Soul Music Society.
Creating Cymatic Shapes
Discovering a great potential of using these moving images for the context of a music merchandise branding and its still images for print designs, I decided to create my own cymatic shapes with the help of Dr Jules Rawlinson, a Dound Design professor at the University of Edinburgh.
First attempt at creating cymatic shapes with the help of Dr Jules Rawlinson. Audio has been removed due to high pitched sound.