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Sonic correlations with art in the listening space

I’ve been doing some serious listening room optimization lately and wanted to share some findings that I think will genuinely move the needle for people.

I started with a Van Gogh Starry Night print on the front wall. The effect was immediately apparent — the soundstage became more active and forward, treble took on an aggressive, almost agitated quality, and there was a swirling, turbulent energy in the upper midrange that I can only describe as "post-impressionistic." Bass was present but restless. Not unpleasant, but fatiguing over long sessions.

I swapped in a Monet Water Lilies — same frame, same wall position, same listening chair. The transformation was remarkable. Highs rolled off beautifully, the whole presentation became more diffuse and liquid, with a kind of shimmering quality in the upper frequencies that never hardened. Soundstage depth increased noticeably. Jazz and classical particularly benefited. Vocals floated with an almost pond-like serenity.

I’m currently experimenting with a Rothko — early results suggest a warm, enveloping midrange with somewhat ill-defined edges, though the color temperature of the piece may be a confounding variable. A Mondrian is on order and I’m expecting tight, articulate bass with excellent channel separation.

Has anyone else explored this? I feel like the art/acoustics interaction is seriously underexplored in this hobby. Would love to hear other findings. Measurements welcome but I’m not sure the Klippel can capture this yet.

P.S. But seriously – I AM curious about the effect of decor on your overall listening experiences. I am making a joke above, but I do spend time tweaking my lighting and other things and seeing how impacts of visual art on mood effect listening experience.

hilde45
joeycastillo
277 posts
 

OP

Sorry, but in my opinion, decors do not affect what I hear. nor does not send emotions. For me, what I hear is what I like. I sit down and listen, and I can hear soundstage, depth and presentation. I can hear the actual recording, as if I was there. my gear cannot present a grand scale of the venue, so i choose my music based on how it was sized OR my choice of Nostalgic recordings (Vinyl) and feel as I was in jazz clubs where Louis Armstrong or Chet Atkins, or Barbara Streisand were performing and I can listen to the space. I also love chamber music where I can feel the space. 

All this I do with my Eyes closed. I cannot feel the presentation if my eyes open as I focus on the speakers and sound source. so there, the field collapses

So that's where I am coming from, the visual display of the Acoustic treatment does not affect me as I have my eyes closed during a listening session.

hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
6,046 posts
 

@snilf 

I'm going to stick with my explanation -- of needing open space for my mind to go. The wine pairing example is one where one is taking one episode of attention (on the music), pairing it with another (on wine) and then seeking some new synthesis (a third and additional attentional outcome). That might very well yield a new form of  pleasure, but I'm thinking of decor that creates conditions for experience that allow the fullest possible expansion of just the episode of musical attention. A concert hall image might do that (and of course be misleading for other kinds of music), but I'd be fine with a view of Lake Zurich and the Alps. ;-)

@joeycastillo Thanks for your comment.

kennyc
3,069 posts
 

Seems you’re making a case for a picture framed TV to display art, but sonically problematic against the front wall.

toddalin's avatar
toddalin
670 posts
 

Actually, there is a correlation between art and the listening space in my room.  The glass work on the art pieces to the right of the speakers compensate for the glass work of the mirror/entertainment center that houses the equipment to the left.

The room is symmetrical so I feel that I should try to make the furnishings and  reflections as symmetrical as reasonably feasible.  And apparently I'm doing something right because the soundstage, imaging, and sense of realism are like no others I've heard at any of the shops or shows.

https://youtu.be/P1R2dKRDFUk

 

imintohifi
40 posts
 

As a professional visual artist I'm definitely intrigued by the novelty of this topic in this forum. hilde45's comment of needing open space for the mind is worth thinking about. Even before we bring audio equipment into the picture we're subconsciously processing spatial cues through sound all the time, creating models of our environments. Visual art can alter our relationship to space in dramatic ways. Music heard through speakers can do so as well. What's important isn't simply the physical space they share, but rather how our minds' image of this space is affected by these two distinct art forms. Thanks for opening up a discussion of how visual art and music can entangle themselves in the form of new and surprising experiences. We are our own best test subjects for these experiments!

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