Poetic Signal
Poetic Signal is an abstract poetic form where sound, image, and language function as equal signals within a unified perceptual field.
Manifesto
Poetic Signal is a field where sound, image, and language exist as equal signals.
No medium illustrates another.
No element dominates the whole.
Sound is not accompaniment.
Image is not decoration.
Language is not narration.
Each operates as a signal carrying rhythm, texture, and perception.
Meaning emerges through resonance rather than explanation.
Inspired by the brevity and awareness of haiku, Poetic Signal transforms poetry into a multisensory experience unfolding in time.
Poetry becomes a living signal within the world.
Definition
Poetic Signal is a form of abstract media poetry in which sound, moving image, and language function as equal signals within a unified perceptual field.
Rather than serving as illustration or narrative support for one another, these elements interact as independent yet interrelated signals. Meaning emerges through resonance, rhythm, and spatial perception rather than linear storytelling.
Inspired by the brevity and abstraction of haiku, Poetic Signal expands poetry into a multisensory structure unfolding through time.
Artist Statement
My work explores the hidden rhythms that shape our perception of the world.
Through the practice of Poetic Signal, I combine sound, moving images, and minimal poetic language to create environments where these elements coexist as equal signals. None serves as a dominant medium; instead, they interact as layers within a shared perceptual space.
My approach draws from the philosophy of haiku—brevity, abstraction, and attention to fleeting moments. In this context, language becomes a catalyst rather than a narrative device, allowing sound and image to expand the emotional and sensory resolution of the poem.
As a musician and improviser, I am deeply interested in listening as a creative act. The pulse of urban environments, the subtle rhythms of natural landscapes, and the textures of acoustic and electronic sound all become materials within the work.
Poetic Signal seeks to dissolve boundaries between hearing, seeing, and reading, inviting audiences to experience poetry as a living field of signals unfolding in time.
Description
Water Brain is a collaborative project based in Brooklyn that explores the intersection of sound, image, and perception.
Founded by Japanese-born bassist and composer Fumio Tashiro (Bombsun), the project brings together experimental music, visual art, and poetic expression to create immersive audiovisual environments.
Central to the project is the development of Poetic Signal, a new artistic approach in which sound, image, and language operate as equal signals within a unified field of perception.
The performances employ deep listening, incorporating both urban and natural sonic environments alongside improvised music and abstract visual worlds created by artist Miho Morita.
Through layered acoustic and electronic sound, moving imagery, and minimal poetic language, Water Brain constructs spaces where audiences experience poetry not as text alone, but as a multisensory signal unfolding through time.
Ambivalent: drawing / pushing out
[Project Description]
This video art project explores the ambivalent relationship between gentrification and displacement in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The first chapter, "Ambivalent: drawing in" presents a montage of images and sounds capturing the vibrancy and dynamism of the neighborhood. It expresses the pulsing energy through lively rhythms depicting joggers, people walking dogs, and bustling activity.
The second chapter, "Ambivalent: Pushing Out" takes on a more somber tone, depicting the encroaching presence of gentrification through imagery of gray high-rise buildings and construction sites. While the underlying BPM continues, the latter half employs more abstract expressions and incorporates sampled sounds from actual construction sites, appealing to the subconscious.
Viewers are left to deeply ponder whether gentrification is headed in a positive or negative direction for the community.
[Project Statement]
The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the complex and often contradictory effects of gentrification. The artist hopes to encourage viewers to think critically about the issue and to consider the perspectives of those who are most affected by it.
[Artist's Perspective]
The artist's perspective on the issue of gentrification is complex and nuanced. Artists recognize the potential benefits of gentrification, such as economic development and infrastructure improvements. However, as someone who runs a small café within the affected area, the artist also has real concerns about the negative impacts of gentrification, such as noise and vibrations driving away customers, affecting business operations, and the risks of displacement and rising rents.
[Artist Statement]
As a Brooklyn-based artist deeply embedded in the Gowanus community, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impacts of gentrification - the displacement of long-term residents, shuttering of small businesses, and erosion of affordable housing. Through this multidisciplinary project spanning music, video, and installations, I aim to amplify the marginalized voices too often silenced amid rapid urban transformation. Drawing inspiration from the stark juxtaposition of Gowanus' industrial heritage and natural environs like the infamously polluted canal, my work challenges oversimplified narratives surrounding gentrification.
My art unit "WATER BRAIN" confronts society's disconnection from the natural world in the face of unchecked development. By fostering dialogue around these complex issues through compelling creative expression, I hope to raise awareness and envision more equitable, sustainable paths forward for our evolving city and its diverse communities. Art can be a powerful catalyst for social change, and this project harnesses that potential to advocate for the too often overlooked perspectives shaping Brooklyn's future.