The BBC Radiophonic Workshop team consisted of many talented female sound engineers who rarely got equal credit to their male peers. Maddalena Fagandini produced many successful tracks under the pseudonym Ray Cathode alongside fellow producer, George Martin. Sadly, over time Fagandini was overshadowed by Martin’s success with The Beatles despite the importance of her collaboration on ‘Time Beat’ which brought Ray Cathode to light.

This project aims to highlight this critical figure in the workshop’s history by presenting Fagandini’s creations with other-worldly visuals. I wanted to contrast the technical nature of the sounds by using natural materials. Historic experimental film makers like Marie Menken’s ‘Glimpse of the Garden’, influenced how I filmed the video regarding zoom and pacing. My research into materiality and how to portray the layers of sound in Maddalena Fagandini’s work lead me to cymatics which is using the vibrations of sound to manipulate substances like water or sand. At certain frequencies, formations and patterns occur which helped guide how obscure the visuals should be. Mould artist, Dasha Plesen is another key reference as her colourful and textured work inspired me to play more and to manipulate the natural outcomes for the most intriguing visuals.