Jorinde Voigt – Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata 1-32

Drawing on her background as a cellist, and inspired by her fascination with Beethoven, Jorinde Voigt transforms sound into image in her series Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata 1-32. In Sonata No. 6, Voigt combines expressive musical scores with systematic drawing. Responding to the music, she conveys her emotions through methodically drawn lines, intersecting curves, and detailed notations. The spacing of each notation results in rhythmic progressions of form. These progressions, freely drawn, loop across the page, creating “trails” that echo her response to the music. Each trail corresponds to an intentionally drawn axis with intersecting lines, which rotates to create a distorted helix. The various intersecting lines may look chaotic at first, but only a few trails exist – one for each movement.

To Voigt, Beethoven’s music encapsulates a broad array of emotions that are relatable to her life. Creating her own musical notation system, Voigt weaves intricate lines and her own thoughts together, culminating in a series of abstract drawings that transform her emotions into visual form.

Caroline Chang `18