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This is one of two animated sequences I created for Ingredients for Disaster, a new documentary based on the work of the celebrated Swiss Jazz musician Nik Bärtsch. The film is now streaming on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Google Play. An alternative edit that spans 6 parts can be viewed on Bärtsch’s YouTube channel.

Working closely with founder of Harmonix Alex Rigopulos and his talented team, I was tasked with visually communicating the complex polyrhythmic structures within Bärtsch’s music. In this piece, this was achieved by assigning the 4 musical loops to the motion and behaviour of organic bioluminescent swarms. The glowing heads of these emergent organisms expand, contract and emit luminous particles in time to their respective rhythms. They pulse in time to the notes. There are 2 distinct parts (each repeated twice), the faster of which adopts a darker tone and a more dynamic motion.

A brief explanation of the polyrhythm structure:

• The music alternates between two meta-cycles (called A & B here), each with a distinct rhythmic feel and polyrhythm structure.

• A lasts just under 20 seconds, and B just under 10 seconds, so A+B is just under 30 seconds. 

• Each meta-cycle Plays twice in this sequence.

• The 4 parts being visualised are drum (orange), bass clarinet (red), piano right hand (lighter yellow) and piano left hand (saturated yellow). 

• Meta-cycle A:

  • Drum - 7 beats.

  • Bass clarinet part - 7 beats.

  • Piano RH - 1.25 beats.

  • Piano LH - 3.5 beats.

• Meta-cycle B:

  • Drum - 7 beats.

  • Bass clarinet part - 5 beats.

  • Piano RH - 1.67 beats.

  • Piano LH - 5 beats.

The visuals were programmed from scratch in C++ using openFrameworks and GLSL. 

Director and Producer: Julian Phillips
Creative Director: Alex Rigopulos
Audiovisual Systems Engineering: Mike Mandel
Music Analysis and Transcription: Rick Cody & Simon Rigopulos