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Zvolinsky: “A Fascination with Hidden Things of the World”
I had the opportunity to ask the artist, Leonid Zvolinsky, about the inspiration and ideas behind this work.
Zvolinsky, who started his music education early in life, began composing his own music at around the age of five. After studying composition and sound engineering in Russia, he moved to Japan seven years ago. Since then, he has developed an interest in media art and interactive technology. Notably, he is fluent in Japanese and can easily conduct interviews without the need for an interpreter.
I heard that you’re working on media art related to sound. Could you briefly share what you’re most interested in as an artist and what kind of works you’ve created so far?
Zvolinsky: I’m interested in the themes of “communication of information” and “memory.” Memory is never the same; when we recall something important, it seems we constantly overwrite and create new memories each time.
It’s surprising how unreliable our minds can be, isn’t it?
Zvolinsky: Yes [laughs]. I was really surprised when I learned about it while researching cognitive science. That led me to think more deeply about it, and around five years ago, I created a work called X-SynapseL. When humans listen to sounds or music, the physical signals we perceive are converted into mental images of sound in the brain. However, there seems to be a kind of “discrepancy,” almost like an illusion, in this process.
That’s really fascinating!
Zvolinsky: These auditory characteristics are, in a sense, “hidden things of the world.” It’s not fantasy; there are truly many mysterious and fascinating “hidden things” in the world. I’m interested in these and want to present them through my works.
