What are Cymatics ?

Leonardo Da Vinci ( 1452-1519) and Galileo Galilei (1564- 1642) both left written record of the cymatic phenomenon before the term was invented.

Cymatic is a term invented by the Swiss philosopher Hans Jenny (1904-1972), and it comes from the Greek noun κῦμα, the wave. Sound is a perception caused by physical vibrations. It can pass through all states of matter, liquid, solid, gaseous, plasma and propagates at a speed which depends on the medium. As it passes through the material, it produces vibrations originating from the cymatic process.

Physicists, in their quest to understand the ability of sounds to organize and make matter vibrate, devised ingenious methods to make sound visible. One such pioneer was German physicist Ernst Chladni (1756-1827). Using a bow, he would vibrate metal plates covered with sand or salt, a process that would reveal geometric figures. These designs, a visual manifestation of sound, would evolve in response to the vibration frequency of the plate, a testament to the intricate relationship between sound and matter.

Hans Jenny extends Chladni's work by using electricity to vibrate the plates continuously. To do this, he uses numerous materials, powders, and fluids, sometimes mixed. This allows it to vary and multiply the resonance parameters. His experiments give birth to refined figures, which transform according to the sound.

Jenny was convinced that life is the result of the specific vibration of each cell and that each cell has its own sound, note, and vibration.

From shivering textures to colorful archipelagos and organic designs, the journey of cymatic art is a testament to the creative potential of sound. It has given birth to geometric and abstract landscapes, moving sculptures that materialize sound, and a vibrant world of cymatic art that continues to evolve and transform with each new experiment and variation in resonance parameters.

In the beginning, was the sound...

Alexander Lauterwasser (born in 1951) continues the work and theories of previous generations. He often uses water as a revealing medium for sound waves and quartz oscillators, whose precision and stability further refine the acoustic figures.

Lauterwasser's work propels cymatics into uncharted territories. Like his predecessor, Hans Jenny, he embarks on a quest to develop a comprehensive theory of the forms of nature and the Universe, all rooted in sound. The striking resemblance between cymatic figures and natural structures such as plants and skeletons leads him to propose a 'sonogenesis' of the Universe. This theory suggests that the very order of our world is of a sonic, vibratory nature, with sound continuously sculpting and organizing the matter.

Sound creates shapes and experiences wave movement, confirming a connection between waves, substances, and forms that concern all organisms equally.

All studies and experiments carried out using wave frequencies confirm the studies and experiments dating back to ancient civilizations, according to which each sound, each vibration, is concerning a form in space, generated by it, and kept in life and movement. We can remember this famous declaration of Pythagoras that geometry is solidified music. Researchers have thus discovered numerous shapes, some geometric and others in the form of symbols, crosses, stars, etc., produced by various types of vibrations. So, if all sounds, waves, movements, thoughts, and feelings create forms, this implies that we are constantly creating forms because we have the exact vibrational nature.

If you want to explore the subject further, Modern Polymath Robert Edward Grant, who I admire greatly for his contribution to the understanding of humanity. He did an extensive research into the relationship between music, math, and geometry.

Ancient cultures used and knew about the effects of vibrations long before modern science recognized this field, and more researchers are finding links between ancient architecture and cymatics.