Aquarelle and the Orchestra
Aquarelle and The Orchestra
Art Project by Irina Bruckner
Abstract
Does music visualization only means a translation of soundscape into image?
Is it a graphic pattern that reflects frequency and pitch, which is very common in audio media playing software, or is it picture dedicated to the title of musical composition?
Is it necessary to reflect upon music visually? Sometimes such representation of classical music could be considered intrusive in perception by another listener. Some will consider that will be under minding the purity of abstract perception of music, as a form of art that exist independently from visual representation. At the same time through the history of arts there are number of artworks that were inspired by the music and there are examples of music that been inspired by visual arts. There are also examples of misinterpretation of music and visual arts by spoken or written language.
Does artist has right on it’s own vision and expression of idea that derived from another art form?
Could this process include more people to illustrate how different human perception to the same piece of music is?
Are children more open to abstract idea of music separation from visual representation by identifiable objects? Will children’s artworks illustrate more purist approach to music visualization? Approach, that does not have registered associations, knowledge that dictates what is allowed and what is not?
Introduction
Aquarelle and The Orchestra is a response of artist to the Symphony Orchestra rehearsals and public performances. Artist’s role is to “document” process of music playing, focusing on interactivity with listener. Viewers/listeners of the rehearsals – groups of children and adults are to make an input in such “documentation”. “Documentation” process in aquarelle or/and ink is to be documented into video that is to be a part of visualization during orchestra’s annual performance “Fantastical Classical”, which is also recorded and combined into a streaming media on the artist’s and orchestra’s website.
With a need to promote the cultural value of classical music amongst the community this project will include some members of the community that are under circumstances are not engaged in the classical music and normally will never attend such performances. Project will also bring younger generation into the classical music appreciation and will enable new audience to discover a new ways of interaction with classical music, which took a “rigid” form of appreciation as dictated by society’s cliché on “how classical music has to be appreciated”.
Project Description
In the series of music visualization workshops the Orchestra teamed up with the artist to produce a series of sound visualizations that document and explore fusion of different media, audio and visual arts. The visualizations are a combination of artist sketches, animations based on artist’s and engaged viewer sketches, and digital video clips - all of which portray the whole process of “documentation”.
The goal of this project is to create visualizations that provide the viewer with a sense of involvement, what it is like to be at the rehearsal by portraying the musicians, sounds they make and own response to whole process of happening.
The series workshops are engaging groups of children and adults into the process of creation while being inspired by the orchestras rehearsal/performance.
Program comprises of three stages:
1. Exhibition of works developed by Artist during Orchestra’s August – September Rehearsals;
2. Workshops engaging public into art making process to visualize music pieces performed by orchestra during November rehearsals and preview performances.
3. Compilation of visuals produced during workshops and artist’s work into visual presentation during Fantastical Classical Performance and exhibition of selected artist and public works on the wall in final venue.
Working alongside WSO musicians, participants use ink or/and watercolours to explore fluidity of music and painting medium.
Workshops will focus on interactivity and creativity and seek to provide young people with the opportunity to learn, explore and discover music through an exciting and engaging process of painting. Throughout the series of workshops, children and young people will develop confidence in their appreciation of the classical music and creative skills. Workshops will be making the program a powerful complement to public interaction with the orchestra and standard performances. All children and accompanying family members are given the opportunity to participate in art making while attending WSO concerts and rehearsals.
This project is unique because it concerns the visualization of the life rehearsal/performance. At each workshop, we will produce:
1) Watercolour images;
2) A video record of production of watercolour images;
3) An animation through compilation of recorded images and wtercolours;
4) A publication of streaming media on the internet;
The digital video is a secondary product that is obtained for additional documentation and for validation of the visualizations. The main emphasis of this project is creation of music visualizations.
Equipment
The equipment used in this project includes:
• Rice paper Scrolls, watercolour paper;
• Ink;
• Watercolours;
• Various Brushes;
• HP Scanjet 2300C scanner;
• Olympus digital camera;
• Panasonic SDR-H60 digital video camera;
• Necessary processing, audio and image manipulating software;
• Laptop;
• Data Projector;
Methods
During workshops artist and participants to use ink and/or watercolours on scroll of rice paper. This process is to be recorded by video camera and digital camera.
The scanner is used to obtain images of water in the clear glass vessels to mix paint, rinse brushes. The digital camera and video obtained the necessary site imagery used for reference in creating visualizations.
