IXYXI’s journey of turning light into sound

Genesis House and Ethan Tobman have partnered up to craft this immersive installation titled Starscape, inspired by Dongji, Korea’s Winter Solstice celebration.

For this project, 1080p, the French Post-Production House, contacted IXYXI to craft the music and sound design for Hyundai’s luxury brand, bringing their vision to life. Presented in NYC, the experience featured an experimental film projected on walls, the floor, and even the ceiling, with sound enveloping the space through 45 speakers. The concept: Reimagine the constellations above Seoul and New York, two cities connected by their shared night sky.

To achieve this, IXYXI faced an intriguing challenge: capturing the sound of light.

Though light itself is silent, it holds endless potential for sonic interpretation. IXYXI’s approach blended poetic intuition with scientific inspiration, creating a unique auditory expression of light through a mix of research and creative experimentation. Here’s how they did it:

Genesis – Starscape

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Director Ethan Tobman

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Credits

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Production Company finish
Director Ethan Tobman
Producer Harrison Nalevansky
Producer Jordan Le Galeze
Producer Ophelie Thibaut
Editor Remy Monti
Sound Designer/Music Producer IXYXI
Sound Designer/Music Producer IXYXI

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GRANULAR SYNTHESIS Drawing from quantum mechanics, where photons act as both waves and particles, IXYXI used granular synthesis. This technique breaks sound into tiny grains that can be manipulated individually or combined into flowing textures, mimicking light’s dual nature.

SONIFICATIONS To convert light data into sound, pitch, tempo, and timbre are assigned to visual inputs, allowing images of light to take on an auditory form.

STAR SIZES IN THE MILKY WAY To represent the galaxy’s diversity of stars, IXYXI scaled sounds to reflect star sizes. Using the Sun’s sonification as a base, they pitched and layered it with granular synthesis, adjusting volumes to match each star group’s proportion in the sky.

REDSHIFT AND BLUESHIFT As the universe expands, stars shift slightly in color: red for moving away, blue for approaching. This motion was mirrored in sound by applying subtle pitch shifts of 0.01%, reflecting the delicate movements of stars in the Milky Way.

THE SCHUMANN RESONANCE Earth’s electromagnetic “heartbeat” resonates at 7.83 Hz. To represent earth, IXYXI chose harmonics at 31.32 Hz and 62.64 Hz, with the latter more suited for most speakers. Special equipment was requested to ensure the deeper tones could be heard.

VOLTAGE AND FREQUENCY The 60 Hz power grid frequency shared by South Korea and the U.S. inspired a starting tone. FM synthesis added texture, reflecting the differing 120V and 220V power systems of the two nations.

In Starscape, IXYXI created a soundscape that brought light to life in a journey between science and art, sound and light, Seoul and New York. The result was an immersive experience that celebrated the beauty of shared skies and the power of collaboration.