Artist Statement
When I first read of this
assignment, I immediately thought of Debussy's Clair de Lune. No piece of music has struck me more
profoundly than this composition. Still,
I struggled with figuring out how to portray this song through a series of
images. In class, we discussed multiple
ways to approach the process, including using abstract images or constructing a
narrative based on the music. I chose
this abstract, impressionistic approach to the project because I felt that it
best illustrated the emotions and moods that are present in Debussy's impressionist
piece. Impressionist art places more emphasis
on depictions of light and its changing qualities, the inclusion of movement as
a critical element of perception, and unusual angles. Impressionist music places more emphasis on
conveying emotion, atmosphere and mood rather than structure and form. I was also inspired by Abstract Expressionism,
an art movement that places more emphasis on spontaneous, subconscious creation. By
combining these three art forms together, I felt that I was able to accurately
portray how I felt and what I was thinking while listening to this piece. Most of my feedback from my peers seemed to reflect
similar thoughts. One person described
seeing a beautiful sunset, and a general atmosphere of pondering. When I listened to this song, I imagined
myself floating through the clouds or space.
I became ecstatic when one of my pictures ended up resembling a galaxy,
since this seemed to portray exactly what I picture when I hear this song.
The entire process was a form of
experimentation with trial and error. I
knew from the start that I wanted to used colored dye (especially purple and blue, since those are the colors that I associate with the moods expressed in this song) suspended in liquid because I
thought that this would best represent the floating/flying feeling that is
expressed in the song. However, the
first photos, taken inside a glass filled with water, did not turn out well. I tried different angles and lighting
positions, but they all turned out blurry and poorly defined. Then I decided to try it again in a clear,
plastic bowl. The pictures improved
tenfold with this decision. My roommate
noticed what I was doing and suggested that I try it with milk and dish
soap. This further improved the image by
allowing the dye to become more visible and by creating more complicated movement
with the dye. Also, by combining the dye
within a circular bowl, an interesting juxtaposition between order and chaos
was created. Inside the bowl, the dye is
chaotic and moves in every direction, but it is still confined by the limits of
the bowl. This can represent how our
minds can be both chaotic and extremely organized, being able to contain random
thoughts and emotions all in one place.
In Dillard's essay "Seeing",
while describing the difficulty of spotting beauty in nature, she states that "It's
all a matter of keeping [your] eyes open."
Later, she states, "What planet or power yanks Halley's Comet out
of orbit? We haven't seen that force
yet..." To me, these quotes
represent the underlying motive of every artist: to see and describe what
cannot normally be seen or described. We
cannot see sound, yet we are able to conjure up images and emotions in our
heads that can represent sound. With
this activity, I was able to experiment with expressing in abstract images
feelings and emotions that cannot normally be seen or expressed. By juxtaposing music, sound, and images
together, we as artists and storytellers move towards fulfilling one of the key
motives of art: to express the inexpressible.
No comments:
Post a Comment