Minjade Paklapas, Ph.D.
Abstract :
Source of Life reflects the cycle of nature through the 5F concept: Fall, Flow, Foglia, Fold, and Figure.
Each phase represents a natural transformation, such as rain falling, water flowing, leaves sprouting, time folding, and new forms emerging.
The idea originated from a study of surface patterns in material design, where repetition and rhythm became a metaphor for the continuity of life. The work translates these qualities into sound and light, combining field recordings with abstract motion to express renewal and decay.
It invites viewers to feel the rhythm of nature through sensory experience rather than observation.
The installation portrays how life continues through transformation.
Every fall leads to flow, every fold leads to form.
It is not a story of beginning or end, but of constant becoming and unbecoming.
Objectives :
The project aims to explore how natural transformation can be expressed through sound and light. It seeks to capture the essence of life’s cycle using the 5F sequence as a framework for visual and auditory composition.
The objective is to translate impermanence into sensory experience through interaction and perception, aligning with ideas of experiential engagement in design (Hassenzahl, 2010). Rather than explaining, the work allows the audience to feel the movement of life through vibration, reflection, and time. It encourages awareness of how creation and decay exist in balance, where every end carries the beginning within it.
Conceptual Framework :
The concept is based on the continuity of natural life. The 5F cycle serves as a metaphor for how energy changes form within nature and within the self. Each stage captures a distinct moment of movement and stillness.
Drawing from phenomenological understandings of perception (Merleau-Ponty, 1962/1945) and principles of sensory design (Hassenzahl, 2010), the project began with a study of surface pattern behaviour. Repetition, reflection, and texture were observed as cues for organic rhythm. These visual studies formed the foundation for translating sound and light into rhythmic sequences.
Sound becomes texture and light becomes emotion, echoing the environmental sensibility described by McCullough (2013). The viewer’s presence completes the piece, forming a quiet dialogue between nature and self. Through abstraction, Source of Life visualises the unseen process of living and dissolving, situating the work within practice-based creative research (Candy & Edmonds, 2018).
Process / Methodology :
The process began with field recordings of rain, wind, and flowing water. These sounds were layered, stretched, and re-composed to form ambient structures. Parallel to the sound, projection and reflective surfaces were used to simulate motion, growth, and dissolution.
Each stage of the 5F cycle guided the visual rhythm. Fall introduced descent, Flow created motion, Foglia brought new colour and form, Fold reflected stillness, and Figure emerged as the final transformation.
The installation was arranged as an immersive environment where viewers could walk, listen, and sense transitions between elements, resonating with experiential design practices (Hassenzahl, 2010). The goal was not to represent nature but to evoke its quiet energy through abstract interaction and embodied perception (Merleau-Ponty, 1962/1945).
Techniques and Materials :
The installation was designed to create a focused sensory environment where sound could be perceived with heightened visual presence. Acoustic panels and soft surfaces were used to reduce ambient noise within the exhibition space, allowing the audience to concentrate on subtle frequencies and motion.
The audio was composed from field recordings of rain, water, and natural ambience, then processed through Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) such as Ableton Live and Logic Pro. The sound design emphasised rhythm, vibration, and tonal depth to reflect the transitions of the 5F cycle.
Projection mapping translated sound frequencies into abstract movement and light, merging visual and auditory rhythm in a spatial dialogue (McCullough, 2013). The interaction between these elements created an atmosphere of quiet focus, where perception and environment converged in a single evolving form.
Result / Conclusion :
Source of Life presents a living rhythm made visible through sound and light. The 5F cycle emerges as both structure and emotion, guiding the audience through the process of renewal.
The result is a contemplative space where natural sound and abstract imagery merge into one continuous flow, aligning with the reflective quality of experiential environments (McCullough, 2013). This sensory outcome can be observed clearly in the installation documentation, where motion, projection, and sound interact within the exhibition space (SALT AND PEPPER STUDIO, 2023).
The work concludes that life’s beauty lies in change itself. Every fall creates movement, every fold reveals form. Through perception, we rediscover that all beginnings are already part of their endings, a notion echoed in phenomenological and design-based inquiry (Merleau-Ponty, 1962/1945; Candy & Edmonds, 2018).
References :
Candy, L., & Edmonds, E. (2018). Practice-based research in the creative arts: Foundations and futures. Leonardo, 51(1), 63–69. https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_01471
Hassenzahl, M. (2010). Experience design: Technology for all the right reasons. Morgan & Claypool. https://doi.org/10.2200/S00261ED1V01Y201003HCI008
McCullough, M. (2013). Ambient commons: Attention in the age of embodied information. MIT Press.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of perception (C. Smith, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1945)
SALT AND PEPPER STUDIO. (2023). Soundscape exhibition – Source of Life [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/u4iXK4Itbcw?si=NgyhJ_uJlEebWoo5