{"id":20827,"date":"2025-04-29T13:18:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T18:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/?p=20827"},"modified":"2025-05-06T13:34:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T18:34:27","slug":"demo58-mike-cassidy-and-kristian-north-third-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/en\/demo58-mike-cassidy-and-kristian-north-third-state\/","title":{"rendered":"DEMO58 Mike Cassidy and Kristian North &#8211; Third State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>May 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Third State<\/em> is a visual music composition for three lasers by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mikecassidy.io\/works\/laser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike Cassidy<\/a> [student, Concordia University] and <a href=\"https:\/\/kristiannorth.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kristian North<\/a> [student member, Concordia University], who perform together as<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mikecassidy.io\/projects\/augurs-wand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Augurs Wand<\/a>.&nbsp; It was composed during a residency at Hexagram in January 2025 and premiered at <a href=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/en\/la-grande-ecoute-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">La Grande Nuit<\/a> in March. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The piece employs an extended technique of \u2018vector synthesis\u2019 (Holzer, 2019), whereby laser image and sound are produced by the same analogue signals, forming a unified audiovisual instrument that is programmatic rather than merely associative or autopoietic.&nbsp; The title of the work refers to a newly identified biological state where cellular systems retain responsiveness beyond the boundaries of clinical life and death. <em>Third State<\/em> interprets this liminal space as a perceptual flux between light and darkness, past and present, or form and abstraction, which never truly settles into form constancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:75px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Third State: Visual Music for Three Lasers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DEMO58 video\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wHgsuNvJflg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Laser Synthesis<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) operates through optical resonance and feedback. Light waves oscillate between mirrors in a resonant cavity, selectively amplifying only the wavelengths that match the cavity\u2019s resonance conditions until a coherent, phase-aligned beam emerges. The dominant wavelength determines the laser\u2019s colour, analogous to how acoustic resonance amplifies particular frequencies to create sustained harmonic vibrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_001.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20841\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_001.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_001-800x450.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>Laser synthesis flowchart<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a laser projector, beams of red, green, and blue light converge at a prism before reflecting onto two small mirrors, each controlled by voltage-responsive galvanometer motors. These \u2018galvos\u2019 rapidly tilt the mirrors, steering the laser point across an XY plane at speeds that surpass the threshold of visual persistence, producing the illusion of a continuous two-dimensional image. The performance of galvos is typically measured in kilopoints per second (KPPS), a standard for image fidelity, yet they are capable of operating at frequencies well into the audio spectrum. This makes it possible to sonify the same control voltages that modulate XY position and RGB intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Composing the Instrument<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In modular synthesis practice, it is possible to articulate a distinction between modules, with isolated but indeterminate functions, and the purposeful instruments that emerge from their assembly. Similarly, in collaboration Augurs Wand create composition-specific instruments using Phosphene<em>, <\/em>a modular laser synthesiser developed by Mike Cassidy for VCV Rack. Comprising source, modulation, and utility modules, Phosphene generates audio-rate signals for shape, colour, and sound, all synchronised to a single phasor ramp, the temporal \u2018source of truth\u2019. These digital signals are converted to analogue control voltage for image and colour, and transduced into sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20839\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>The Phosphene VCV Rack plugin<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Cerberus is one such instrument built upon this foundation, eponymously derived from the three-headed guard dog at the gate of the underworld, the third state between life and death. Cerberus refers to both the three-laser diffusion system and its instrumental assemblage, together composing visual music for three lasers, as a compositional structuring of Phosphene oriented towards this specific function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_003-1080x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_003-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_003.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>The Cerberus laser system at UQAM\u2019s Agora du Coeur des sciences<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Critically, this instrument did not precede the creation of <em>Third State<\/em> as a finalised tool. Instead, the collaborative workflow of Augurs Wand is a reciprocal dialogue between composition (<em>Third State<\/em>) and instrument design (Cerberus) that collectively inform, and are informed by, core programming architectures (Phosphene). For example, the cross-laser delay motif that defines <em>Third State<\/em>\u2019s final section originated from the compositional intent to aggregate all three lasers as a single polyphonic voice,&nbsp; informing systemic changes to lower level module design to accommodate flexibility in signal architecture.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Symbology, Entering the <em>Third State<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For artists working with laser synthesis, the question of how to <em>enter<\/em> the work is a guiding concern. This entry may be sensorial: Alberto Novello, for instance, describes his laser practice as \u2018visual listening\u2019, framing real-time imagery as articulation cues for conscious listening (2021). However, a creative priority in working with Cerberus is to avoid hierarchical privileging of audio or visual content, shifting focus towards more integrated modes of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Third State<\/em>, the primary point of entrance is symbolism: audiovisual forms are taken not only as topological objects but meaning-charged signs with archetypal, cultural, and structural connotations. More specifically, the work is composed around <em>two<\/em> symbols, the triskelion and the torus knot, which also function as oscillators within the synthesis system. This compositional process diverges from related laser synthesis practices in that materials are selected for their <em>signification<\/em> before they are encoded as signals, with sonic or visual qualities emerging as subsequent phenomena.&nbsp; In this framework, the triskelion and the torus knot act as compound ideograms, shaping how form behaves over time and inscribing a mythic arc into the piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first and final movements of <em>Third State<\/em> are motivic expositions of the triskelion and torus knot respectively, followed by their musical development. The central movement explores their fusion using audio-rate multichannel signal blending (XY, RGB), to shape a process of interplay, tension, and growth.<em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_004.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_004.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_004-800x450.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_005.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20845\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>Stills from the first (Top), second (Bottom Left), and third (Bottom Right) movements of <em>Third State<\/em><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_006-720x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_006-720x720.jpg 720w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_006.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Triskelion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The most prominent symbol in the work is the triskelion, an ancient three-armed figure whose earliest-known example was found carved into the Neolithic monument of Newgrange in Ireland. Symbolically, the triskelion\u2019s rotational symmetry and triadic form is associated with motion, balance, and recurrence in the top-down organisation of systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_007-720x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_007-720x720.jpg 720w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_007.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>Two appearances of the triskelion in <em>Third State<\/em><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_008-720x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_008-720x720.jpg 720w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_008.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Third State<\/em>, this form functions simultaneously as a voice and a compositional cosmogram mapping the score. As a recurrent overworld its three inspirals correspond to the three movements of the work, in turn composed as cycles or journeys. This metanarrative aligns the work with themes related to origins or primordialism through a geomythological framework that suggests transient natural phenomena, including lightning and other plasma events, might represent the basis of human traditions, myths, and religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a design strategy, the triskelion\u2019s configuration aligns with Buckminster Fuller\u2019s definition of the tetrahedron as a minimal structural system of three spatially connected points, here conceived as three proportionate spirals emanating from a common centre (1982). This principle informs fundamental aspects of the work: the three lasers; RGB colour generation; the perceptual fusion of sound, colour, and image; the three movements of the piece; among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Torus Knot<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The torus knot is a common form in low-dimensional topology, characterised by geometric stability arising from harmonic ratios. When sonified, these harmonic relationships create dyads and extend Phosphene\u2019s overall polyphony and therefore musical potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-3 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_009-720x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_009-720x720.jpg 720w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_009.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>A green torus knot T (3, 8) produced by Phosphene (L) and its appearance in Third State (R)<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_010-720x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_010-720x720.jpg 720w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_010.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Significant developments in topology emerged around the turn of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century, aligning the torus knot figure symbolically with notions of modernity, contrasting the primordial triskelion. Topology helped redefine how form could be conceptualised, not just as a fixed or hierarchical structure but as dynamic, metastable systems. In psychoanalytic theory for instance, Jacques Lacan turned to knot theory to formalise the relational structure of subjectivity, shifting from a Freudian topographical model where the psyche is divided into discrete regions to a topological one defined by continuous entanglement (Blum &amp; Secor, 2011). From a broader perspective, the torus knot symbolises the subjective experience preoccupying both thinkers, and emblematic of modernist discourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through a linear progression from the triskelion to the torus knot, punctuated by a central morphogenetic transformation, the composition addresses this cultural paradigm shift from the universal to the subjective, and arrives at a third state between concrete form and pure abstraction, emphasising both collective and individual perceptual experience as its true source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Role of Colour<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Colour, though present in the image, is not inherent to Cerberus\u2019 unified architecture. Where sound and form were integrated, colour lacks this direct derivation and requires additional conceptual mappings. For the majority of <em>Third State, <\/em>each of the three lasers are restricted to one monochromatic beam (red, green, or blue) to establish an elementary visual language. Its syntax defines each core colour along an ordinal axis, representing an ascending series: red as one, green as two, blue as three. This sequence follows a spectral hierarchy shared by sound and light where frequency and wavelength are inversely related, shaping both colour, hue, and pitch. For instance, red, with its longer wavelength and lower frequency, is associated with bass, and blue, with its shorter wavelength and higher frequency, with treble. This sequential mapping echoes cross-cultural studies in colour term development where red tends to appear in languages before green, and green before blue, suggesting universal stages of perceptual categorisation (Berlin &amp; Kay, 1969).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_011.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_011.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_011-800x450.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>Audio-rate crossfading of a triskelion into a torus knot, including colour signals<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Role of Space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Third State<\/em> is the first fixed composition created with Phosphene, but the system\u2019s modularity enables endless reconfiguration for live performance. Critically the work can only be experienced in evental time\u2014laser synthesis is vampirical; it thrives in darkness and cannot be accurately photographed or filmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This highlights not only the unique perceptual experience of laser light but the many ways the work engages with the spaces in which it is situated. Acoustics, ambient light level, surface reflectivity characteristics, and architectural features are inseparable from the sound and imagery produced, creating boundary conditions that dictate wave propagation or <em>movement<\/em>. From this perspective laser synthesis, as a kinetic art, exceeds the audiovisual; it is a felt event, not just situated in space but becoming space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_012.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_012.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/hexagram.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DEMO58_012-800x450.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>During the Hexagram residency, the Agora du Coeur des sciences granted the laser a sculptural, volumetric presence&nbsp;<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uk-card uk-card-default uk-padding large\">\n<p><b>Mike Cassidy<\/b> is an artist + engineer primarily working with sound and light, drawn to the complexity of natural systems. With a background in music therapy, acoustic ecology, and software engineering, his work explores interaction as an invitation to alternative ways of sensing and relating to the world. He holds a B.A. in Psychology, a B.F.A in Electroacoustic Studies, and is pursuing an M.A. in Indivisualised Research at Concordia University.<\/p> \n\n<p><b>Kristian North<\/b> is a genre-agnostic songwriter, musician, and composer living in Tio\u2019tia:ke\/Montr\u00e9al. Active since ~2003, he has written and performed original music as a solo artist and band member, touring widely across North America and Europe. This background informs a compositional practice rooted in chance, live performance, and collaboration. His soundscape composition Remiges won the 2023 Hildegard Westerkamp Prize (JTTP), and Mirror Life was a finalist at Totem \u00c9lectroacoustique 2025. Recently, his creative scope has expanded into digital arts and multimedia, where he focuses on generative systems and analogue technologies, including visual music for lasers with collaborator Mike Cassidy. He holds a BFA in Electroacoustic Composition from Concordia University and is pursuing an MA in transdisciplinary research-creation.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Acknowledgements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We would like to thank the teams at Hexagram and GRMS\/La Grande Nuit for their support during the creation and debut of <em>Third State<\/em>, Debora and Jason Bernagozzi at Signal Culture for their support and input in the development of Phosphene and Cerberus during our 2024 residency, Ricardo Dal Farra for his continued support of the work, our original laser mentor Alberto Novello, and Annabelle Fournier and Aidan McMahon for creating the promotional video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Berlin, B., &amp; Kay, P. (1969).<\/strong> <em>Basic color terms: Their universality and evolution<\/em>. University of California Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Blum, V., &amp; Secor, A. (2011).<\/strong> Psychotopologies: Closing the circuit between psychic and material space. <em>Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 29<\/em>(6), 1030\u20131047.<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1068\/d11910\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1068\/d11910\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1068\/d11910<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fuller, R. B., Applewhite, E. J., &amp; Loeb, A. L. (1982).<\/strong> <em>Synergetics: Explorations in the geometry of thinking<\/em> (1st Macmillan paperbacks ed.). Macmillan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Holzer, D. (2019).<\/strong> <em>Vector Synthesis: A media archaelogical investigation into sound-modulated light<\/em>. [Masters&#8217; thesis, Aalto University]. <a href=\"https:\/\/aaltodoc.aalto.fi\/items\/05a7467b-ac5e-4ab7-bb1e-da0298ee9eef\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/aaltodoc.aalto.fi\/items\/05a7467b-ac5e-4ab7-bb1e-da0298ee9eef<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Novello, A. (2021).<\/strong> Media archaeology-based Visual Music. <em>Musica\/Tecnologia, 15,<\/em> 7\u201330.<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.36253\/music_tec-13300\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.36253\/music_tec-13300\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.36253\/music_tec-13300<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May 2025 Third State is a visual music composition for three lasers by Mike Cassidy [student, Concordia University] and Kristian North [student member, Concordia University], who perform together as Augurs Wand.&nbsp; It was composed during a residency at Hexagram in January 2025 and premiered at La Grande Nuit in March. 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