Microscophony

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2026

Inspired by Ligeti’s concept of micropolyphony and the graphic notation in his work Artikulation, this project fuses microscopic and musical elements. By applying micropolyphony—a technique where multiple voices, densely intertwined like clouds, blend into one to form an indistinguishable mass of sound—to the world of microorganisms, the microorganisms transform into massive textures and masses, revealing hidden harmonies just as individual tones come together to form a sound mass.

“The polyphonic structure does not come through, you cannot hear it; it remains hidden in a microscopic, underwater world, to us inaudible. I call it micropolyphony.”
- György Ligeti

Video and sound by jiinko

[Microscophony, Jiin Ko, medium15 m by 2m LED, NTU Index, Photo by Quek Jia Liang]