Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow | Exhibitions | Maria Molokova - Optical Hearing

Maria Molokova
Optical Hearing

Moscow, 21.12.2021—22.05.2022

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Visitors will learn how to use a ‘vision prosthesis’ that allows them to hear images. It is based on an idea by ​​Evgeny Murzin, creator of the ANS synthesizer. The programme scans the image as a sonogram, highlighting the brightness and position of each pixel. Volume depends on the brightness: for example, the darkest spot can be heard as silence. Pitch is determined by the vertical value. The higher the pixel is located, the higher the sound.

The viewer is invited to enter a room with a sound fresco. This is a prepared technical drawing, close to the image of a sound sonogram. A sighted person can only see outlines, while the cipher can be heard and ‘read’ with the help of a ‘visual prosthesis’.

Molokova’s project raises the question of a human being’s willingness to trust the machine and expand the boundaries of sensory perception.