Anyway so I think the decision now is to respond to something fixed so that I can generate a wealth of knowledge about a particular musical area which will help me feel more motivated and driven to create work. I have been researching into more specific subject areas that I could base my imagery around.
Relationship between Music and Art:
This online article talks about the relationship between music and illustration. It goes into detail about the complimentary relationship between the two disciplines. A quote in the article that I found quite striking was where Malcom McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols) said, "...if people bought the records for the music, this thing would have died a death long ago". The point he is getting at is that music is so much more than the sound and lyrics alone. By following and investing yourself into a certain band/genre you are therefor subscribing to a particular image that enables one to position themselves within society. Almost like a belonging. And through ephemera such as album artwork, posters or clothing one is able to do this. This shows the importance that music holds to us as a cultural species, being so fundamental in our existence that it gives us the opportunity to define who we are.
Perhaps steering my project toward this concept and trying to explore, visually, the intimate relationship that people have with a particular genre of music would be exciting. Although I feel that these subjective topics don't sit too well with me as I find it hard not having something specific to respond to with my work.
Next 11 Countries:
Another point of research that I have establish is the 'Next 11 Countries'. They are defined as, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam, and are projected to be the worlds largest economies within the 21st century. As well as their growing economies, culturally, they are expected to grow too. This is already giving rise to sounds and visual aesthetics that are influencing culture in the west. So I had the idea of responding to music from some of these countries. Could use this response to address the narratives associated with their music and maybe through interviewing people.
Nick Radford:
Above are two pieces of work by Nick Radford, an illustrator/graphic designer who works to music related briefs a lot of the time. His style is very simple and inspired by the screen printing process. Using very subtle manipulations of the layers within his images he is able to portray a sense of play and movement that resonates strongly with the musical contexts of which his work is situated. I find his work really evokes a sense of the 1940s/50/60s jazz album artwork which was some of the first instances of visual artwork accompanying music as a single product. This was therefor a really powerful moment in the history of the two disciplines. The fact that Radford utilises this particular style in his imagery is interesting. For me personally it has a very organic feel and is very warming to look at. I think this is further pushed by the screen printed finish of his works.
This has made me think that I should investigate a specific genre of music of even a lost moment in musical history. As it would allow me to really get invested in one thing which would refine my work and give it a real context.
Cul-De-Sac Soundtrack:
Another thing Ben suggested was listening to the Cul-De-Sac soundtrack and potentially using it as something to respond to visually. I haven't done so just yet but I have listened to it a few times and have really enjoyed it! It's a completely instrumental piece meaning that again, it would be a subjective response completely. Although saying that, I could definitely do some further research into the composer, the movie and it's storyline, there are so many aspects to a piece of music that inform it and can be used in the visual telling of it's narrative as well.
