This project was one of the earliest audio engineering assignments in my collegiate years, in which I was challenged to create a dynamic soundscape for a still image of my choice. In preparation for this assignment, I began scrolling through online forms of “liminal spaces” and “cursed images:” photos seemingly lost to time that fill you with a strange feeling of dread that you can’t quite put your finger on. The photo shown here particularly resonated with me. The mystery and childlike horror was palpable when I first laid eyes on it. I aimed to capture the eerie feeling that the image instills through audio, designing a narrative of splashes, drips, and mechanical clanking as you enter the gaping maw of the beast before you.

I didn’t simply soundscape the environment I saw in this image—I built an auditory world that takes you through every subsequent image that never saw the light of day. It’s a prime example of the power of storytelling through audio. Done correctly, the image can take a life of its own.

All sound design and scoring was done in Ableton Live using a combination of digital strings, synths, and free sound effects, all made to feel real and tangible through clever use of filters and effects. This was one of my first major successes as an audio engineering student at Millikin University, and I’m still very proud of my work on this project.

- Colby Wygal