The Shapes of Sound. Organic Geometries, Harmonic Ratios, and Ethnic Design / Le forme del suono. Geometrie organiche, rapporti armonici e design etnico

The matrices that define natural shapes have organic conformations, characterized by softness and flexuosity. Such peculiarities derive from inherent functional needs and frequently manifest as polycentric curves. The shapes of natural space have often been adopted by artists, decorators and architects over the centuries. However, there is one particular field in which man has intensively applied these organic conformations. Shapes derived from nature, from the study of harmonic ratios, and from the laws of sound propagation have been used in the production of musical instruments since ancient times. They are often the result of autochthonous traditions, closely linked to a folk culture. Materials, shapes, and colors characterize them as ethnic design objects, in which the sound function does not forgo decorum. The paper aims to highlight the connection between organic geometry, proportional ratios, and the conformation of musical instruments: emblematic examples of a folk design that spontaneously combines art and technique, innovation and tradition, listening and vision. It is a process of analysis that, through direct survey, structure-from-motion techniques, three-dimensional modeling, and the study of geometries, aims to document ethnic shapes and traditions: traces that, over the centuries, have triggered processes of innovation based on experimentation ‘poor’ in material but rich in creativity.