How Sound Fragments came about Music and art have been a part of my life for many years, often in isolation from each other. There would be times I would sit and compose music on the piano for hours, then practice day after day until the composition was firmly etched in my mind. There would be times I would paint for hours to the point of feeling infused with the work I was creating - an invisible but intense symbiosis that deepened the relationship between us. I finally reached a crossroads where I felt as though I needed to make a choice - to either put all my energy into my music, or put all my energy into my art. It was becoming too difficult to spread my energy between them. Then one day I came across some work by New Zealand artist Michael Smither, work that cleverly combined sound, colour, and shape. The work had such a profound impact on me the moment I first laid eyes on it that I thought to myself, "This is it... this is what I am meant to be doing... rather than decide music or art... I can combine the two together". So I reached out to Michael to learn more about his work in the sound, colour, and shape field. He shared his thoughts, his research, and his passion... and I shared my thoughts, my research, and my passion back. I began to feel more and more that this is what I was meant to do... to create works that combined sound, colour, and shape through simple geometric forms. So I did - and it wasn't long until I launched my first exhibition titled "The Four Dimensions of a Note". The exhibition broke a musical note down into four key dimensions (pitch, loudness, duration, and emotional state) and represented these dimensions as geometric forms on canvas. It was the beginning of a long journey I saw in front of me, into the realm of blending music with art - a journey I was excited to be taking. Present day and my excitement around the journey has only increased as a never ending flood of ideas dance across my mind. Sound Fragments is one of these ideas, but one that clearly stood above the rest. At this point, I believe in my research and work so much that I want to share it with the world and of all the ideas, Sound Fragments could enable this to happen. Sound Fragments has many underlying themes - but one theme in particular shines a little brighter than the others and focuses on harmonic science. It is a theme that explores the very stuff we are all made of, the origins of why things are the way they are, the interconnections between everything we see and do not see. It is a theme that considers that which is part of us all and Sound Fragments offers one perspective on what this might look like. As fragments of sound ripple across the world, the connections between galleries that may not have been visible, become visible. They all support art and artists, they are all part of a beautiful melody that echoes through those with whom they interact with. What Sound Fragments aims to achieve There are a number of goals Sound Fragments aims to achieve including:
However, the primary goal Sound Fragments aims to achieve is that of building a greater awareness around how sound, shape, colour, and emotion connect us with one another. How Sound Fragments will run Sound Fragments will run for 2 months (March 11 - May 2 2010). There will be three distinct phases to Sound Fragments as follows:
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