The violin is heard in all its virtuosity in the four movements of the second solo sonata OBSESSION by the Belgian composer Eugène Ysaÿe. The pieces are known for the masterful expressionistic violin sound and high technical demands. Played by violinist Philipp Bohnen of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the notes resound sometimes powerfully and erratically, sometimes playfully and delicately. As an acoustic experience, however, the melodies remain abstract. They are neither visible nor tangible.

Visual artist Hannah Bohnen transforms the violin playing and makes it visually experienceable. Using motion tracking, she translates the music-making bow hand into patterns of movement. The action as the origin of the sound becomes the central object of her eponymous work OBESSION. Four sweeping lines emerge that permeate the space and reflect the rhythm of the individual movements. Using a wood shaper, the artist inscribes the contours in large-format wooden panels, finishing them with a black, highly glossy varnish. During this process, structures and interruptions form, seemingly setting the surface in motion and emphasizing the dynamics of the lines. The ephemeral moment of play is extracted from its fleetingness and captured.

In the process of transmediation, it materializes into lines of movement and acquires a physicality. Via the reflection of the varnish, the mirror image of the space appears on the panels. Their surface texture changes and with every movement of the viewer the mirrored environment deforms anew. The panels visualize the violin playing and place it in relation to its surroundings. This results in an immediate interaction between space and time. The faded music is confronted with the present reflection and creates an anachronistic moment. Temporality calls itself into consciousness on the surface of the panels and can be experienced there.