ABOUT THE PROJECT
This was a collaboration between the String Center Majors and Visual Art students at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts
The Process
STEP 1: String students learned about composing and worked to create their own original piece. They were guided with the following prompt: "Detail what your piece is about, instrumentation, what inspired it, if it's channeling a feeling, emotion, telling a story, evoking imagery, setting a mood, etc...what was your vision?"
STEP 2: Composers submitted audio files and Ms. Lisa re-named each file with a number then sent them to the Artists with no identifying factors or context.
STEP 3: Visual Art students were assigned the audio files at random and were asked to create an art piece to reflect what they interpreted as they listened. They were then asked the same prompt: "Detail what your work is about, what inspired your choices, if it's channeling a feeling, emotion, telling a story, setting a mood, etc....What was your vision? "
STEP 4: What you see below is the final product of artwork inspired by audio files with both artist interpretation and composer intent.
Were they able to channel the same vision?
Artist: Gianna A.
The mood of the music made me think of a landscape. A place full of color and nature, where it’s calm but also mysterious. Warm hues were used in the sky such as pinks, oranges, and yellows to give the painting a feeling of warmth and nostalgia. On the other hand, dark hues were used in the trees and the foreground to provide contrast to the warm colors. It was intended for the viewer's eye to be directed to the middle of the painting where the sunset occurs on the water like how the music had a beautiful focal point. The painting is intended to have an overall atmosphere that is peaceful and well balanced.
Composer: Simon A.
This was meant to be a story about a fancy gathering of ghosts in a ballroom, all dancing with their different backstories, leaving everything behind them in favor of a blissful dance. The imagery that it was supposed to evoke was delicate and perfect symmetry in the form of dance and the room itself. I personally pictured chandeliers, large glass windows, and golden and white colors. I chose a string orchestra plus some add-on percussion and wind parts to create that same fancy and delicate feeling that I was going for. At the end I combine both themes as the dance comes to a close.
Artist: Ollie B.
The simple violin used in the music piece gave me a melancholy but also sort of whimsical vibe, so i used flowers and a more abstract background to represent that.
Composer: Genevieve A.
This piece is supposed to use imagery to depict a scene. I used two violins for this piece. The image is a flower field in the middle of a forest with all types of wildflowers and tall grass, bright colors, with the wind blowing through. It's a sunny day sometime in between spring and summer.
Artist: Kenzie B.
What inspired this piece was the higher and lower notes going back and forth throughout the song. To me that felt conflicting so I wanted to contrast a bright sunset with the dark trees in order to represent this. It felt as if someone was becoming free from a darker place.
Composer: Eva B.
While wandering an open map the player encounters one of the many mini bosses that are scattered around. Both the player and the boss take turns to attack and the player wins.
Artist: Pepper D.
The way the composition starts out very elegant and then dissolved into a more aggressive and dramatic sound reminded me of a memory you can't quite recall. This idea led me to theme the piece around how dementia affects the people who have it. I used forget-me-not flowers reflecting back on an old woman to symbolise how families of dementia patients will often forget the real person behind the illness. How after a period of time, that person is just remembered as the 'crazy old grandparent'. The flowers show the woman wanting to be remembered for who she is, not what she became. Dressed in colorful clothing with a dark background surrounding her. The elegant tune is held in her colorful outfit and her memories that she still has. The aggressive piano is shown in the looming darkness of the black background, representing the destruction that dementia brings.
Composer: Trisannia D.
Its about the spaces, and lines on paper and the different forms of writing.
Artist: Brody E.
I felt as though the music represented a feeling of loneliness and the tone of the piece was eerie, so i decided to make a piece that represented that feeling, and to me an empty hallway conveyed that emotion the most.
Composer: Oliver E.
it's a happier piece there's not too much to it
Artist: Elana G.
It started off somber to me, with different drops of information throughout the piece. It just reminded me of a rainy day and flowers along with reflections off a puddle.
Composer: Emma E.
I intended to make the composition sound like the chaos and changes in the water. I used overlapping to make it sound more chaotic in the end and using plucking sounds to make a sinking sound throughout the piece.
Artist: Jessica G.
When I heard this music I immediately thought of some kind of evil and it also sounded like music for a royal family. So what I painted was a princess getting stabbed while she is in bed and you can see this by what she is wearing which is a night gown. On the floor I put the knife that stabbed her and broken pieces of glasses as if the person who stabbed her broke an entry and dropped a pot.
Composer: Caleb G.
the piece inspires a feeling of perseverance in my opinion through its tone change and the way the piece grows
Artist: Maddalyn H.
When listeing to the song, i felt like i was walking into a vampires castle. I painted a vampire revealing herself to her unwelcomed guest. I patined a bold red cape to show movement. I added a blue window with swirls behind her because i felt in the song it also gave off a mystical and magical vibe.
Composer: Nevaeh H.
a fox being hunted. running away before having a fall thinking it's safe before BOOM. a brand new pelt
Artist: Ivy L.
When listening to the music it made me want the piece to tell a story of a girl in a summer meadow due to its melody having a light playful tone making me think of the outdoors and summer.
Composer: Mary H.
it is the story of falling and love/a relationship. it starts off as the feeling of butterflies, and then it goes to oh wait i think im falling for them, and then it goes to this is getting harder and im kind of struggling but were still going, and then it goes to yay we got past it and then it ends with rest.
Artist: Danielle M.
I painted a young boy with a paper airplane. The music composition, to me, sounded light and happy. It inspired me to make something representing the joys of childhood.
Composer: Mya J.
For me when writing the piece I kinda got the vibe of like jungle but also desert? and that is where the "subsaharan" comes from. But it is also very mysterious, hence the not so creative "mystery". I was trying to lean more towards like a 70s rock thing but I also wanted to use string instruments. My main inspirations were Led Zeppelin and Electric Light Orchestra. I kind of ended up creating a more video game vibe though (in my opinion)
Artist: Faith M.
This piece explores the connection between music, emotion, and imagination through a whimsical self-portrait. Bright pink tones, swirling lines, and floating musical notes create a dreamlike atmosphere inspired by the feeling of getting lost in a song. The detailed textures in the face and hair contrast with the playful background, symbolizing the balance between reality and fantasy. Glittering accents and soft patterns reflect the comforting, expressive energy that music can bring to childhood memories and personal identity.
Composer: Jacob J.
Two children sneak out of their house at knight to explore the world, where they stumble upon the haunted forest. With their interest piqued, they enter head first, unaware of what was there, surviving just barely.
Artist: Angela M.
My work was inspired by the music and beauty and the beast, instead of the happy ending what if the beast does die and bell out of sadness for her lost lover and friends becomes the beast.The emotion pain and sadness and the loss of true love.
Composer: Oliver K.
The piece begins while the sun rises to greet a triumphant morning, then followed by rain and dismay,
Artist: Ellie M.
The music piece starts out slow and ominous. Giving a “Jaws” build up type of style. Then it quickly turns to a Mario cart vibe which made it feel like an almost chaotic lyrical experience (In a good way). Due to the shake like jaws music at the beginning I thought of something under the sea but then when the coarse changed I thought of something more like a pond. The girl in the piece has a flat expression but not worried, almost like she’s used to being under water. My vision was an anonymous women living in the pond along with koi fish.
Composer: Kaison K.
I wanted a piece that sounded like it could be from a movie. I started writing it when I got obsessed with big movie scores, like How To Train Your Dragon and Pirates of the Caribbean. It's also when I got really into baroque style music so I wanted to add some of those elements as well. I hoped to channel a feeling kind of surrounding an image of Pirates and battle and the rough seas.
Artist: Anabella N.
When i heard the song i felt there was a very dark and gritty vibe to it, kind of unsettling. So for the piece i tried to emulate that with an abandoned, liminal sort of space
Composer: Angelina M.
scary, and ominus. very solem and slow
Artist: Madeline P.
From the music, I felt it was very suspenseful, yet adventurous. The first idea that came to mind was a ship crashing through the waves in a big storm so I wanted to portray that in my painting. I felt like the music started to build up as the song went on, which gave me the idea of a storm growing stronger as the voyage went on. The music does seem to settle towards the end and it made me feel like it was the end of the storm.
Composer: Damia M.
the last battle of a hero's journey, and the last battle of his life (the hero dies at the end hence the recurring theme of the hero) the part before the ritartando is the hero entering the battlefield/about to fight the enemy, then the fight begins. when the piece slows down again the hero is severely injured and is thrown into multiple flashbacks of his journey--the friends he made along the way, his family, the obstacles he faced, his achievements. at the end the enemy makes his final blow and the hero finally dies.
Artist: Erika P.
The song gave a vibe of something jumping up and down or something just cool, so I imagined a lowrider. I just imagine a car meet or something like that. It's so different from all the other compositions it just feels like the art piece should also be very different.
Composer: Kaeden M.
Danylo, Marc, and me are vibing with King Von in O-Block. We played our instruments and turned them into a sick rap beat. We did the instrumentals, he added the heart and soul to the song.
Artist: Alejandro T.
This is a piece about the life of a house mouse; stealing food, growing up. I was originally going to go for something more anthropomorphic, but decided against it due to it looking too much like an allegory of sorts. What you see is what you get: just a mouse who is eating lettuce. The duet between the two instruments led me to thinking about man vs. nature, leading me down a train of thought of growing up in areas with rapidly developing infrastructure, which all came together in the form of a mouse. yeah.
Composer: Valeska P.
I didn't have a very specific vision in writing. I was inspired by nature and I was thinking of people or animals playing in a meadow. There is a stranger that appears and at first seems scary but then incorporates itself into the melody. The song is kind of about dissonance and harmony with the meadow or another sort of beautiful clearing as the setting. I think the main feelings its meant to inspire is calm and joy
Artist: Simone T.
The elongated, sharp verticality of the castle matches the deep, stretched notes. Both feel lonely yet imposing, creating a mood of gothic sorrow. The sharp contrast between the deep blacks of the structure and the pale light of the sky reflects the musical shifts between the heavy bass notes and the sharper, higher accents.
Composer: Jailyn P.
very ominous and a mysterious journey
Artist: Tru T.
The setting that I got from this piece sounded like it belonged at a fair, to me I got a very "carnival-ish" vibe but the emotion in the music sounded very hopeful, therefore in my piece i attempted to use the carnival setting, but went about using the horse as a symbolism of hope.
Composer: Marc P.
This is mainly about heading for your goals, even during the challenging times. At first, I didn't really have a main theme or emotion, but I love space and astronomy, so I decided to make this piece. I kind of had a rocket ship going through space and heading towards lots of different things. At the beginning, the rocket ship is launching. In the middle, the people in the rocket ship faced some technical difficulties. Finally, at the end, they were able to get past their troubles and end happily ever after.
Artist: Grace V.
This composition has a curious, enchanting tone to it that I chose to explore by using Alice in Wonderland as inspiration. The beginning starts with a simple progression that flows into a whimsical melody that reminds me of Alice's journey to Wonderland down the rabbit hole. I paint my subject falling, with her skirts wild and fluffed up. Her wide eyes and the expressive perspective is meant to tell a story of discovery and whimsy.
Composer: Logan P.
I went for a soft, end of an adventure type piece.
Artist: Hones'Tee A.
I drew this piece because I wanted to capture the feeling of a world on the brink of something massive kind of like a slow, heavy countdown to a war. That’s why I chose these skeletal figures; they represent a stripped-back reality, I choose to pair them with military-style skirts to surround that idea. At the same time, this is heavily influenced by the grace of ballet. I love the contrast of these grim figures holding elegant, poses, almost as if they're performing a final dance before chaos begins. The colors I chose follows my own experience as an artist, starting dull with the middle skeleton, mirroring the initial hesitation as an artist, before eventually exploding into a vibrant and messy energy of a real creation.
Composer: Kassandra S.
Seeking revenge through sabotage. Very slow, very careful, very quiet. Suspense and anxiety fills the air. Heartbeat is heard, the suspense gets louder. A time to escape after sabotage, unknown of the aftermath that awaits at the end. No longer slow, careful, or quiet; fear and intensity is within. Finally, escape from the action that was done.
Artist: Camila A.
This artwork is about thoughts, emotions, and imagination. The dark silhouette in the center looks calm and reflective, while the colorful lines and swirls around it suggest moving feeling and ideas, the gray background makes the bright colors stand our more, showing contrast between quietness and energy. The mood i felt it was peaceful, thoughtful, and creative, like being still while surrounded by a busy mind.
Composer: Thierry S.
intense, mysterious, fast, egyptian, notes have inspiration from hips don't lie.
Artist: Tania C.
My work represents the complications of a relationship that leads to a heartbreak which is why the hearts are apart from each other in the piece. Each side is separated from the eye color and both have their differences in what they want and believe in but unfortunately they can't it is difficult for them to comprehend each other causing the heartbreak. They still want to have a connection but with what they think about how their relationship should be, it's complicated and with emotions being confusing and desperation.
Composer: Etienne S.
Meant to be about russian military / lifestyle in russia
Artist: Bruno F.
This composition strongly reminds me of medieval times—the drum rhythm, the melody played by the cello, and the flute accompaniment that follows; it sounds just like a soundtrack that would play in a medieval battle movie. This inspired me to create my artwork as if it were an extremely treacherous mountain that people of that era would have to traverse on their way to battle.
Composer: Landon S.
A Napoleonic Era Regiment marching through europe and achieving victory over the enemy.
Artist: Analyse G.
When i listened to the music, it just made me think about the colors orange, yellow, and white along with shapes so i painted them. The music sounded feminine to me as well so I decided to paint a girl in the middle.
Composer: Joseph S.
Pirates out at sea hunting for resources and riches and conquering land.
Artist: Jocelyn H.
The music piece that was assigned to me inspired this because the music felt like it went everywhere from almost every different wavelength of vibe. I wasn't sure what to do with it till I sat and listened so I did half rgb looking color and half black white and pink.
Composer: Kalyn T.
I wanted something pretty but not perfect, I wanted the emotions to feel a little unbalanced because sometimes that’s how I feel whether happy or sad. I wanted bold orange and pink hues with hints of blue and purple.
Artist: Earla L.
I drew this because of the way the sound started at the beginning. At the beginning the sound gave a person who was in distress and calling out for help in the darkness. They are broken and their heart is shattered. Then throughout the song their sadness of thoughts are being fixed through the way of prayer. Towards the end of the song they find peace through prayer and believing in God. And their thoughts were no longer scatter.
Composer: Marissa T.
it's the menu background music for a zombie apocalypse type video game.. the electric bass inspired the theme the most as it has a dark sound. the key is also in D minor.. Sort of telling a story: the beginning marks the start- a simple beat and the electric bass and violin are playing the theme in unison. the repeat foreshadows to the second theme. the eighth notes makes the piece 'faster', the drums are gone, and the piano joins in to create suspense. the two fermatas and repetition of the first theme now with the piano melody is the climax. 'the last few survivors' The end, with the drumset playing a different beat for the aftermath, plays quieter and fades out with a repeating note like the tick of clock as time has run out
Artist: Erika. P.
The song just reminded me of someone standing there, contemplating themselves. The classical music made it feel very old, like someone from a distant past living a life none of us could conceive of.
Composer: Bridget V.
My vision was a piece that sounded like curious magical and like forest like. The story was about a person finding gold.
Artist: Grace V.
The composition has a very chilling, intense tone to it that reminds me of evil vampires and the fast pace makes me imagine a creature of the night lurking and gliding down halls. For these reasons I chose to combine gothic and art nouveau styles, with the subject in the center resembling a vampire. I use inks to channel that ominous, dark tone.
Composer: Ray W.
I didn't really start off with a vision, if I'm being honest. It grew as I created all of the different parts, especially after creating the main part. Its intense, dark, almost angry. I took that and built off of it. It moves like a storm, or a hurricane, starting strong. Then it gets slower, calmer. Then comes back even stronger than before. While typing this I literally changed the name of the piece 😀. I was slightly inspired by japanese scales, hence the repetition of notes and the key signature. But that's not super relevant to the story. But just so you know !! I hope you had fun and my piece wasn't buns to work with
Artist: James C.
My work is a contrast between elegance and vibrancy. It's basically a vogue inspired and poise model walking in the city, looking to her right to create intrigue. I wanted a simple look and more of a focus on the contrast between the elegant black and white model and colorful city background, inspired by pop art colors and style and art deco shapes and patterns. The model's style, like I said, is vogue inspired through fashion model illustrations. The music composition I listened to had two separate components: "colorful" and vibrant and graceful and high-class. I envisioned these two parts colliding to display what is now the finished piece.
Composer: Ash W.
Its a piece about a man that is strolling through downtown new orleans with his friends having a good time. but then he and his friends stumble across a speakeasy and see a very attractive woman and her friends in the bar. it was like love at first sight and in they end they end up leaving the bar together.
Artist: Maddalyn H.
When the song was playing, i felt avery eery yet beautiful sound so i wanted to draw something intimidating but flowy and pretty. i used dark colors for the eery feeling and a bright purple to give a dramatic pop.
Composer: Danylo Z.
Shiny city seemingly perfect. One zooms in and notices all the flaws and corruption happening within. You can never look the same at it again.
Composer: Sophia S.
It's meant to channel a feeling of nostalgia and then sadness towards the end. Think of someone returning home and then having to leave again for however long.