Cords of Dissonance

Created with contemporary composer Geoff Lynch during a residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland, Cords of Dissonance explored the visual language of atonal music through stitched and dyed agawashi (mulberry silk) paper exposed to the region’s harsh and unpredictable weather.

Like atonal music, which moves away from traditional harmony in favour of tension and dissonance, I wanted the work to embrace instability, change and chance. I placed the paper outside and allowed the Icelandic environment to become an active collaborator. Wind, ice and rain left behind tears, stains and ruptures, transforming the material in ways I could not fully predict.

The stitching and translucency of the paper created a sense of lightness and weightlessness, reflecting music that resists a fixed key or tonal centre. The composition was based on a system that gives equal importance to all twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

I was particularly interested in the tension between control and unpredictability. While Geoff’s musical decisions were deliberate and carefully structured, I allowed natural forces to shape the visual work through chance and spontaneity. Bleeding pigments suggested movement and flux, echoing the progression of the music.

Through Cords of Dissonance, I brought together my interest in material processes and the environment with Geoff’s practice as a composer, translating sound into a tactile and visual form. The work invited a consideration of the relationships between music, material and place, and how both natural and creative forces can shape an artwork.

Images: Dave Hebb

Instagram: @therealdavehebb

Violin: Harry Nguyen

Viola: Millie Davidson

Cello: Mahalia Shelton

Video recording: Elif Sezen, 5 February 2026

Instagram: @_elif_sezen_