the only moment we were alone
For this project I did an audio drawing of a non-lyrical music composition. The entire process was very difficult for me. At first I couldn’t decide on a song. Some of my favorites were “Come Back” by Dario Marianelli, “Your Hand In Mine” by Explosions In the Sky, “Horn Intro” by Modest Mouse, “Soulful Strut” by Young-Holt Unlimited, and “Ghost Rider” by RJD2. I did sketches for almost each song, but my strongest was for a song that I definitely did not anticipate doing: “The Only Moment We Were Alone” by Explosions in the Sky. Here are some of my sketches (the final is one for the song I chose):
The song I chose (“The Only Moment We Were Alone” by Explosions in the Sky) is ten minutes long, and for our presentation we were only allowed to play 3-4 minutes. I didn’t want to attempt do the entire ten minutes, just because I felt that such a big art work would take away from the simplistic element of the song. The first forty seconds is very stark yet complex (a good representation of the entire composition), so I decided to model my art work after the first forty seconds only. Here is the final outcome:
It is composed of a thick paper covered in graphite, ink wash, and a mylar overlay on the sides. When the song begins, there is a very static and reverbertating sound made, followed by a repetitve beat until a loud drum thump comes in (I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about music except that I love it and love working with it, but I cannot identify which instrument is making each sound. I would guess guitar then drums, but I’m no expert). The black bars on the bottom resemble the static and the smear on either side resembles the reverberation. There is an ink wash over the entire piece underneath the mylar which resembles the reverberation that continues in your ears even after the song has moved on. Then the repetitive beat comes in, as shown by the graphite blocks. They continue until the end of the song, like a procession. Still proceeding, a heavy drum thump/beat comes in on top of the beat, as seen in the large black ink splotches. There are four drum thumps, therefore four ink blobs. The ink runs out of the circle because you still hear and sense the drums even after they have ended. Finally, I covered the sides in mylar and left the center open because the entire song sounds very centered and solid to me (once again, like a processional). You can just barely see the reverberations through the mylar, which is intended, since you still hear the reverberations, but only so faintly. I love this piece. I’m glad I only decided to do forty seconds of the song because it allowed me to devote more attention and more detail to this one part. Even though it is short, I feel there is so much more going on than you are fully aware of. It is an amazing song and an amazing band that you should definitely check out (remember: Explosions in the Sky). All of their music is very thought provoking and while relaxing, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. I believe the audience develops a personal connection with the music, and even my representation of it. As my audience was experiencing the compostion, I think they tenses up as they anticipated the drum beat entrance.
For those curious (and remember: curiousity killed the cat), this is the composition without the mylar siding:
(even better with the mylar, I know!)
