In the sound-sculptures of Aggelika Korovessis, linguistic analysis and digital technology intersect, transforming intangible sound into physical forms. By digitally analyzing spoken language, Korovessi transforms “Echograms” (sound waveforms of speech) into “sound-sculpture-forms” by merging linguistic codes with aesthetics. This fusion reduces the alienation between individuals and introduces the “Aesthetics of Sound-Forms”, a new artistic approach that includes both the form and the meaning of words. Thus, her sound-sculpture uniquely blends language-sound-sculpture, creating a new category in contemporary art.
Korovessi argues that each word, with its unique sound structure, produces a specific waveform based on the musicality of the speaker, allowing for distinct visual interpretations. This aligns with key concepts in Sociophonetics, such as those explored by Denise Deshaies-Lafontaine (A Socio-phonetics Study of a Quebec French Community: Trois-Rivieres. University of London 1974) who examined differences in speech between language groups.
Beyond personal phonetic variations, Korovessi’s sculptures address broader issues in contemporary art, particularly with the mutability and ephemeral nature of sound. She achieves this by using mathematical precision -through Computational Linguistics- to analyze and synthesize sound waveforms into dynamic visual representations. These abstract forms, while rooted in numerical precision, have unlimited aesthetic possibilities. Similar to Umberto Eco’s analysis in The Aesthetics of Chaos (The Aesthetics of Chaosmos: the Middle Ages of James Joyce 1989), where he reveals hidden patterns in the chaos of Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, Korovessi reveals harmony in disorder by transforming abstract sounds into coherent sculptural forms.
One of the earliest examples of this transformation is the public work, Communication (1988) at the junction of Mesogeion Avenue and Katehaki. The rhythmic arrangement of vertical bars mimics sound waves, symbolizing the flow of communication. This early work foreshadows her continuing interest in the interaction between sound and structure, paving the way for later, more conceptually complex sculptures.
Then, in Cosmic Diode (2015) by Aggelika Korovessi, the vertical structure with spiral sound-forms creates a rhythmic pattern that resembles the passage of sound and energy waves. This circular movement alludes to the continuous flow of thought, speech and time. The upward trajectory, symbolizing the transition from ignorance to knowledge, alludes to the digital resolution of sound-mirroring modern telecommunication antennas that transmit signals to higher spheres of understanding or cosmic awareness. Such a rise reflects the dialectic between intangible discourse and tangible form, echoing the interplay of communication and technology in today’s digital culture.
Korovessi’s transformation of sound into sculpture embodies a Hegelian dialectic, mediating between concept and material. Through her sound forms, she captures the transient, personal aspects of speech by transforming its ephemeral sound into durable visual forms, bridging the gap between intangible elements and concrete art.
In Freedom’s Sound Saws (2021), Korovessi uses saws to reproduce sound waveforms of words such as “Desire”, “Self-Esteem”, “Subversion”, “Courage”, “Ethos”, linking industrial tools and the work of sawing to abstract philosophical concepts. The forms of sawing tools that penetrate the wall, positioned vertically below each other, symbolize the power of words to construct and destroy, symbolizing the way language can shape personal or social change.
Her sound sculptures “Peace”, “War” “All” “Air” explore fluid concepts linked to the emotional and cultural states of civilization. Seeing the “word” as an embodiment not only of sound but also of image, emotion and environment, Korovessi is drawn to phenomenological views of language, echoing thinkers such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty. In Phenomenologie de la Perception (1962), Merleau-Ponty argues that language is more than a mere tool for communication – it shapes and is shaped by our experiences of the world. In this sense, Aggelica Korovessi’s work extends beyond the visual representation of sound waves and incorporates the total experience of language, including the psychological, cultural and emotional states of the speaker and the author herself.
Korovessi’s use of linguistic principles in sculpture creates a new artistic vocabulary, emphasizing the relationship between language and thought. She formalizes Wittgenstein’s assertion that “the limits of my language determine the limits of my world” (Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus 1922), making for the first time sound as essential as form in Greek art. Her work merges the scientific study of linguistics with sculptural practice. Her sculptures, therefore, which encapsulate the logical structure of linguistic thought and the psychophysical conditions of the speaker, offer a new dimension to the tradition of sculpture and contemporary technology.
Twenty-seven years later, in Cosmic Diode (2015), a vertical structure with spiral sound-forms, Korovessi creates a rhythmic pattern that resembles the passage of sound and energy waves. Her disc inscribes a visual evolution that interweaves biological development with the evolution of sound waves, symbolizing the parallel evolution of both life and communication. This precisely indicates the cyclical and interconnected nature of life and language. The spiral structure in the centre is reminiscent of sound waveforms while the circularity refers to the rhythm of speech, thought and time. The biological sound-forms on the surface of the disc refer to the dialogue between the physical and the technological that is an integral part of the evolutionary process with natural development. The contrast between the ephemeral nature of sound and the solid structure of the sculpture is the striking synthesis of opposites (Coincidentia Oppositorum) of the Hegelian dialectic and a striking proof of Wittgenstein’s dictum on the limitations and possibilities of language. Here, sound is not only a representation but an experiential experience that reflects the totality of existence: As fluid as the boundaries between form, sound and meaning are, the ongoing processes of life and evolution depicted on the record are equally fluid.
Aggelica Korovessi’s exploration of sound as a sculptural medium places her alongside artists such as Christine Sun Kim, Bill Fontana and Bernhard Leitner who similarly challenge the traditional boundaries of sound in art. Through the fusion of her linguistic and sculptural criteria, Aggelika Korovessi reshapes the relationship between form, sound and meaning, contributing a vital new dimension to contemporary sculpture.