99 Notationsgrafiken

The notation graphics presented here are each derived from a specific musical idea. Sonic and structural relationships are transformed into visual forms that, like a written language, can be read and interpreted as musical events.

These notations are designed to capture both musical time and variability through geometric structures. Their elements are not spontaneous visual gestures, as often found in so-called “musical graphics”; rather, they function like symbols in a script, carrying specific meanings while remaining open to different interpretations. For this reason, the graphics do not necessarily have to produce sound. They can also serve as scores for choreography, film, or other performative forms.

Time is embedded within the graphics and unfolds through different modes of reading and viewing. A notation may be read by rows or columns, from left to right, top to bottom, or in reverse. It can also be rotated, so that, for example, a vertical line becomes horizontal and its meaning changes accordingly.

This possibility of shifting perspective allows both the temporal and sonic dimensions of music to be contained within each notation graphic. The project does not seek to establish a standardized notation system. Instead, it attempts to develop an appropriate visual language for each individual musical idea.

The resulting diversity of visual languages is evident in 99 Notation Graphics. Through a reduced graphic vocabulary and a consistently combinatorial approach, a distinctive modular aesthetic emerges: each graphic is an autonomous composition, yet it can also be combined with others to create new compositions.

99 Notationsgrafiken
99 Originalzeichnungen für die Zeitschrift »ZEICHTUNG« 4.  Jahrgang, 2026, II, Nr. 12
Christoph Herndler
edition EIS, 2026

140 x 340mm, 28pp
Thread binding, soft cover
Edition 14 out of 25 

Box: 348 x 147 x 12 mm, Grey Paper