The prototype of the work originated in an idle printmaking classroom at the TNNUA. Passing by this place, you would often see a heavy and rusted printmaking press, stone slabs on the conveyor belt resembling archaeological finds, jars of paint and chemicals, and a drying rack with print works from over a decade ago. Imagining someone once engrossed in printmaking here, one might even think of the invention of printing, the rise of newspapers and books—the ongoing process of visual image production.

However, when the printmaking classroom is empty, and the machinery halts image production, the tools, objects, and space become static, gradually drawing attention to sounds beyond image production: the friction of car tires on the asphalt outside the window, the white noise of machinery, the creaking of steel buildings expanding and contracting, the water flowing through basement pipes, and the sounds of people passing by outside the space. The printmaking equipment becomes an object that reflects sounds—its idleness changes the function of this space, transforming it from an image-producing area to one that accommodates sounds. This inspired the idea of processing sounds in this space.

In handling the sounds, environmental noises were first collected, processed through effectors, and then broadcast. After adjusting the sound field to harmonize with the space, the sounds traveled, reflected, and intertwined among the microphones, speakers, and objects within the space, creating an interconnected real-time environmental soundscape.

As sound became dominant, the possibility of shaping images through sound was considered. Thus, the natural light originally present in the space was simulated, with the light’s shape altered by varying sound frequencies. Additionally, the volume limitation processed by one of the effectors became the fourth element shaping the soundscape. When a viewer enters the space and produces sounds of varying loudness, this interacts further with the sound field, creating a deeper connection.