Samartzis approached us to design the first release on his Microphonics imprint, Soft and Loud. The piece consisted of six movements that were originally constructed for an eight channel surround sound installation, each speaker placed in a circular zone, the idea being that the listener would move around the spatial field, interacting with individual sounds and thus gaining a deeper understanding of the composition. The piece itself relies on field recordings examining the urban Japanese environment mixed with electroacoustic sound; it was clear that the visuals had to be clean, distinct and almost scientific in their interpretation.
In order to suit the continual flow of the piece, it was felt that the best way to handle the liner notes was a 4 page foldout, rather than a interleaved booklet, which also allowed the artwork to be read simultaneously with Samartzis' essay.
During discussions, Samartzis mentioned that he had no suggestions for imagery beyond the liner notes and a diagram explaining the spatial design of the installation, and so was open to ideas revolving around fragmentation, disruption and abstraction. An intuitive treatment developed from various textures and imagery illustrated the audio, overlaid by a framework holding those elements in space, allowing the viewer to examine them clinically. Silence and quiet passages were presented by white background, the effort being made to point out mathematical notions of seperation and sterility, fused with organicism.
A decision was made to emphasise the relationship between binary states - ie. soft/loud, dark/light, high/low, large/small - and to represent those in a symbolic way, subconsciously packaging the concept of opposition and resonance, and using various navigational symbols to guide the viewer through the information.
In order to suit the continual flow of the piece, it was felt that the best way to handle the liner notes was a 4 page foldout, rather than a interleaved booklet, which also allowed the artwork to be read simultaneously with Samartzis' essay.
product.20307
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
front + back.
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
front + back.
product.20307
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
insert front.
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
insert front.
product.20307
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
insert back.
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
insert back.
product.20307
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
insert detail.
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper.
insert detail.
product.20307
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper. 1/c screenprint.
tray + disc.
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 120gsm art paper. 1/c screenprint.
tray + disc.
product.20307
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 100gsm art paper.
tray detail.
print (cd): "mic01. philip samartzis - soft and loud"
4/c, 100gsm art paper.
tray detail.
