ISEA2014 (International Seminar of Electronic Arts) took place in Dubai in November 2014. At this event, I performed three pieces of Visual Music including a work, 'Three Arabesques', produced specially for the occasion. The pieces which preceded Three Arabesques were 'Shapes' and 'Memories are Made of This'. SHAPES is based on J S Bach’s first Cello Suite arranged for solo clarinet. Its six contrasting movements give plenty of opportunity for expressing the intrinsic relationship that exists between music and abstract imagery. My interpretation of each movement, either consciously or unconsciously, has been influenced by the work of abstract artists. It is possible to glimpse, within each movement’s constantly shifting patterns, images which are familiar and identifiable; they bear at least some resemblance to the work of an individual well-known abstract artist. The linear, three-dimensional shapes of the PRELUDE create a strange world which is not unlike the compositions of the Russian artist, El Lissitzky. As in his work, my images appear to fuse together drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture. Kasimir Malevich, another Russian artist, created his dynamic compositions by projecting three-dimensional forms on to a two-dimensional surface. As it happens, this is exactly the same method that I have used, through Processing, to produce the moving images in ALLEMANDE. The first section repeat of ALLEMANDE changes tack to create a multiplicity of rectilinear colour juxtapositions which bring to mind the pattern-making compositions of Giacomo Balla – an Italian Futurist who was fascinated by motion and electric light. It will be no surprise that Op Art makes an appearance in SHAPES; the COURANTE introduces black and white linear patterns which conjure up the work of Bridget Riley. As the movement develops, the patterns become more and more colourful. Paul Klee’s work and teaching at the Bauhaus were inspired by his admiration for the polyphony of baroque music (eg. Bach’s first Cello Suite). The slow-moving linear abstractions of the SARABANDE emulate the way Klee built up his paintings by adding and subtracting colours in a multiplicity of tones and textures. In keeping with the work of Hans Arp, MINUETS I & II introduce an element of chance in the way their patterns are generated as a ‘video game’. The result is a spontaneous eruption of shapes which resemble textile designs. The concluding GIGUE generates an ever-changing kaleidoscope of images in which the shapes and geometry of Ben Nicholson’s work are evident. However, he would never have used such a random spectrum of colours. Before moving on to MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS, I explain that, as an architect, I have a lifelong fascination with geometry – not only Euclidian Geometry but, also, Islamic Geometry. I then demonstrate how one Islamic pattern, in particular, has prompted me to take an intrepid step into the unknown -- a step which aims to illustrate how our brains might work -- how brain cells cooperate in assemblies of thousands to generate ideas, thoughts and memories. Nobody knows how this miracle of communication happens; it's proving to be one of the most intractable problems faced by scientists today. But this hasn't stopped me testing my fanciful geometric proposition in Memories are Made of This. Geometry also underpins THREE ARABESQUES. In the past, Islam was far ahead of the West in producing complex art forms based on the dynamic mathematical concept of trigonometry. Now, the advent of coding (as an aspect of computer science) enables artists in the West to revel in the assemblage of mathematically defined forms which, for so long, have been the prerogative of Muslim artists. Architecture, of course, is the most immediate visual testimony of Islam and, here, the fundamental role given to surface decoration is its most significant feature. In Three Arabesques, I've chosen to play a mathematical game by weaving variations on hexagons -- a common theme in Islamic architectural ornamentation - which extend way beyond the restrictions that would have been imposed on Islamic artists working in past centuries. Throughout this piece, I produce patterns which take flight into a realm of geometric fantasy! Unusually, the music for Three Arabesques is a duet for two clarinets. I play one part live; the other is recorded. Terry Trickett
Visibility: 447
Duration: 30m 6s
Rating: 2