For Visual Music Studio, the first assignment for the visual artists was to choose one piece of music from three options and create an original 2D image response/translation/interpretation to the chosen piece of music (no moving-image pieces).
I chose Steve Reich’s “Octet”, which you can listen to here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
While listening to the piece, I wrote down keywords that came to mind and made an initial sketch (see scanned sketch below). Using my initial notes, I created a collage using construction paper and a few magazines I had around the apartment. I searched out the color scheme I had seen while listening to Reich’s piece (blue, silver, and white) and cut small square pieces.
I felt that each tone had a square aspect that rotated around a central theme. I looked to provide the illusion of rotation upon itself as well as an equal layered distribution of the instruments. I created an underlying layer of small squares that continuously rotated under the center theme that had a slower and less frantic aspect.
The color scheme related to the emotional characteristics I felt the piece had. The repetitive nature of the fast moving elements created a cool and calming aspect and provided a bed for the large fluid main theme.
This is the final visual piece:
