Gear Box Gallery

Cords of Dissonance

Seven-minute music composition, agawashi paper, cotton, natural pigments (henna and sumac), Iroshizuku and Sennelier ink, thread, ice, and weathered stains.

Created by visual artist Jacinta Maude and contemporary composer Geoff Lynch during a residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland, Cords of Dissonance explores the visual language of atonal music through stitched and dyed agawashi (mulberry silk) paper exposed to the region’s harsh, unpredictable weather. Like atonal music, which rejects traditional harmony in favour of tension and dissonance, the work embraces instability and change.

The paper bears tears, stains, and ruptures formed by wind, ice and rain, making the environment an active collaborator. Stitching and the paper’s translucency evoke a sense of weightlessness, reflecting music that resists a fixed key or tonal centre. The composition is based on a system that gives equal importance to all twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

Allowing natural forces to shape the work introduces chance and spontaneity, echoing the unpredictable textures of the music while contrasting with the composer’s very deliberate musical decisions. Bleeding pigments suggest movement and flux, mirroring the music’s progression. By combining textile processes with contemporary composition, Cords of Dissonance translates sound into a tactile, visual form, inviting viewers to reconsider the relationship between music, material, and environment.

Images: Dave Hebb

Instagram: @therealdavehebb

Violin: Harry Nguyen

Viola: Millie Davidson

Cello: Mahalia Shelton

Video recording: Elif Sezen, 5 February 2026

Instagram: @_elif_sezen_