Chris McLay.

I had never seen the music video for Star Guitar (Chemical Brothers) until last week when I read by Jason Kottke. The video is really amazing, even though I’ve watched it over and over and over. Directed by Michel Gondry, the clip is a “simple” shot out of a train window, except that the buildings appear in perfect time with the music.

Jason links to the making of video, which shows Michel Gondry experimenting with the score, and using fruit and cutlery to simulate the effect he was looking to create. This took me right back to my experiments with the Visual Score, and my experiments trying to build a relationship between the vision and the music (see this post).

Now in writing this I’ve noticed that my project was a few years after the music video was made. Looking back I wish I had of found the video back then, I might have gone in a different direction.

Star Guitar video

The Making of Star Guitar Music Video

My final Visual Score

So finally I have found time to post the final version of the score for everyone to see. I’m pretty happy with the overall experiment, even if I don’t really like the final product — visually it’s a little rough and child like. That said with more time (and a faster computer) I think a more aesthetically appealing version could be produced.

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After choosing the piece of music, the next step I outlined for myself was to create a visual map of the music which I could use as a design tool for the following stages. What I wanted from this was a rough break down of the various layers in the music that would be represented visually on the screen, and to know when these layers were being played.

This sounded fairly simple to me and I thought I could knock out my first draft in an afternoon of listening. It took much much longer, so much so I have no idea actually how long it took. It was rewarding in many ways and made me much more familiar with the music and how it had been constructed.

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This is the shortlist of tracks I put together when looking for a piece of music to use in the visual music project. After shortlisting I removed them by a process of elimination until I ended up with just one…

Replica, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cinemage, 4:50
Another orchestral, instrumental track, this time with very distinct layers. This reminds me of an animal march. It can be harsh a grating, but has moments of uplift, and is very rhythmic in places.
iTunes Store Link

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When I first came up with the idea for this visual music project, the method of working I had in mind was very similar to what is outlined below. Yet, while I never completely abandoned the ideas, I lost faith in their ability to create a solid piece of work that would achieve my goals, and so began my search for other creative inputs and methods that would assist me in creative this artwork which said nothing assist me to develop this creative artwork, which tries to signify nothing.

Part of the problem of trying to signify nothing is that it is not actually possible to achieve, all you can do is aim to signify as little as possible. However, if I develop images I think go with a piece of music they will signify something to me, based on the music, and my interpretation of the music will be passed on to the audience. To avoid this I have to play a series of mind games with my self trying to adjust my thoughts and interpretations into imagery that somehow relates to and enhances the imagery without adding new meanings to the music. Confused? I was…

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There is a strong relationship between the question of what makes art, fractal images (see this post) and Steve Reich’s Pendulum Music (see this post).

Both fractal images and Pendulum Music have simple basic straight forward formula’s which define them. Both have a variable element which effects how the “art” is produced: in the case of the music the four performers will start the pendulum in different places each time the piece is played and effect the outcome; in the case of the fractal formulas a seed value for the formula effects the output of the image. Both of these values are often random, but come under some degree of control by the “artists” involved.

I’m still not sure if the outputs of these formulae are actually art, but is certainly interesting and often beautiful and contemplative. To varying degree’s most artists work to a formula or methodology of some kind — it’s the number of variables and the amount of control through a larger range of variables, and the fine control they have over those variables which is different for each artist and/or artwork.

I like the idea of a strict formula or methodology in regard to my own project — it would make working on a long and complex project somewhat simpler, but if the formula or methodology I start out with is wrong then I have no chance of producing anything good… hmmm ???

Mandelbrot B., The Fractal Universe , from The Origins of Creativity , ed. Pfenninger K. & Shubik V., pp. 191-212, Oxford University Press, 2001

Mandelbrot starts his article with a quick outline of his education which, for a variety of small accidents, was highly visual in nature. He goes on to explain that during his “killer” entrance exams he was unable to answer many questions involving language and symbolic manipulation, but easily solved some of the hardest questions, “which no human can find algebraically in three hours under exam conditions,” by reasoning directly from the visual and sensory images that came to mind as he was posed the questions.

He goes on to discuss the shift of mathematical language from one of shapes and illustrations to one of written languages and formulas. One French high school mathematics text argued that “the artistic and sensual character of pictures would delude the reader,” so the text contains no illustrations at all.

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I’ve been playing around with the whole visual music project idea and I’ve rewritten the objectives I started with to make them a bit clearer and more achievable…

Original Objectives:

My primary aim is to take my study and experience of projection for theatre and apply this to the presentation of live music, primarily instrumental music. Of most interest to me is the lack of a written text in instrumental music, and providing visual support for the music without overpowering or providing “new meanings” to the audience.

New Objectives:

To apply my knowledge and experience of projection in theatre to the presentation and performance of live instrumental music music. In particular:

• highlighting the lack of a specific written text assocciated with musical performance, and as a consequence the lack of a specific text for the music’s audience;
• experimenting with visual material that enhances the experience of the performance without disrupting the integrity of the music, or providing a dominant narrative for the audience;
• working with the data gathered from the first two points to develop visual practices that will constitute the praxis of performance component of the assessment.

Seeing this show was supposed to inspire and kick start this whole project, but due to some sort of hardware failure we only got a limited range of visuals projected at the very start and end of the show

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The Verandah was this years main music and festival club for the 2005 Festival of Perth. The projection system consisted of a basic rear projection screen behind the main stage. This was hooked up to a video feed (from a camera way back at the lighting desk) and a video generator similar to that found in iTunes in Windows Media Player.

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