From sound to sign. Graphic experimenting for the visual transcription of sound expression

Abstract

The essay proposes a reflection on the potentiality of the visual sign, in particular of the text sign, as a medium for the analogical representation of the sound sign, aimed at interpreting its acoustic dimension, the emotional scope and the performative and spatial value. In this sense we propose an experimentation conducted on the ‘writing’ of the performance “AAA-AAA”, represented by Marina Abramovic and Ulay in Liege (1978), in which the two artists facing each other, pronounce at the same time a vocal sound, building a progressive tension that culminates with the approach of the two screaming faces. The transcription, which refers to a 9 min and 52 s version, aims to explore if and how, using a single font and working on the expressive potential of the typographic serial range, it is possible to re-trace the bodily, spatial and temporal artistic event, in configurations designed to reflect the emotional climate identifiable in the performative practice and to return formal hypotheses effective through the codes, methods and practices of visual communication. In other words, it is a matter of continuing to explore the relationship between art and the disciplines linked to visuality (from representation to graphics) to verify their elements of contact/hibernation.