BLOCK

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN

Block is an audiovisual work created as part of a Master’s research project in sound design. The piece examines themes connected to women’s rights and freedom in Iran, using sound and visual composition to reflect tension, memory, and the search for liberation.

The animation follows a single character moving through a shifting, abstract environment shaped by pressure and uncertainty. The visual world is paired with an 8-channel immersive sound design built from field recordings, including MRI machine textures, combined with atmospheric layers, processed noise, and darker sonic elements. These sounds form the emotional structure of the piece, guiding the viewer through moments of intensity, reflection, and release.

Archival material is woven into the visual sequence to reference earlier periods in Iran, creating contrast between past and present. The use of a white space and minimal movement suggests clarity, possibility, and the quiet persistence of freedom.

Block brings together multichannel audio, narrative environment design, and personal cultural context to form a work centred on emotional atmosphere and the expressive power of sound.