Below are the guidelines for your final project, which is due on Tuesday, April 24th (our last day of class), and some samples of previous students' scrolls.
As I mentioned today in class, I will be giving you each a piece of 10" x 80" sketch vellum during next week's class to use for your scroll.
Your homework for next week is to BEGIN WORKING by selecting a piece of music and doing a number of sketches in your notebook exploring various marks and possible materials.
THE MUSICAL SCROLL:
For this project you will be creating a “scroll” (or a drawing with dimensions that suggest a scroll) that is a visual interpretation of a piece of music. Beginning with a piece of music that holds some personal significance to you—and preferably one that you’ve listened to again and again so that you’re intimately familiar with its nuances—the challenge will be to translate the audible (sound) into the visual (form) without relying on representational imagery. In other words, the idea is not to illustrate the story that your song is about (if it has one) but rather to convey through the language of abstract form the music itself. Both the individual notes made by different instruments and the emotional overtones of the music will constitute your central “cast of characters” in the composing of your piece.
On the scroll format:
The scroll format is important for several reasons. First, because it is long and narrow, it requires that the viewer “read” it from one end to another as he/she would a piece of writing. This is a nice way to incorporate the element of time into a drawing (and time is the “medium” through which music moves). As the viewer scans your piece, the development of the music and its temporal changes will be evident. Second, when oriented horizontally, the elongated format strongly suggests a bar of musical notation (as in a score). By the format alone you will already be suggesting time (or temporal succession) and musicality.
The aspect ratio of the format will be 1:8. I will be providing each of you with a piece of 10” x 80” sketch vellum the week before the project deadline. If you’d like to use a paper or surface other than the one provided but with the same dimensions, you may do so.
You may choose either the horizontal or the vertical orientation for your scroll. Be sure to give this some thought, since the different orientations read very differently.
Selecting your piece of music:
Because the idea is not to rely on representational imagery to illustrate a story, it is suggested that you use a piece of music without lyrics. However, if you decide to use a song with lyrics you’ll have to make an effort to stay focused on the formal and emotional content of the music rather than on its narrative content. Some representational elements may be included in your drawing, but the emphasis should be on abstraction.
Analyzing the music:
After selecting your piece of music, the next step will be to analyze it (literally: to break it apart) by listening closely and separating its different components conceptually. Drawing/sketching is an excellent way of figuring things out conceptually.
- Instruments: First, you’ll want to figure out what kinds of instruments are being used to make the different sounds and make a series of sketches exploring different kinds of marks to convey each sound.
- Overall structure: Next, you’ll want to make a sketch or diagram that breaks the song down into its various “movements.” For example, it might start off slow and mellow, then progress into something loud and dramatic, then return to slow and mellow (three movements).
- Emotional range: Finally, you’ll want to think about what kinds of emotions your piece of music expresses and come up with a palette that accurately reflects them.
Choosing your materials:
You may use any drawing materials (including ink washes and other watery media) for this project. However, restraint is advised! More than anything else, you will want your drawing to be a coherent piece of visual art that can stand alone (i.e. without the music that inspired it).
Presentation:
In the final class of the semester we will be doing an all-day critique of your scrolls. At the beginning of each presentation you will be playing a short section of your music for the class, followed by a brief explanation of how you approached the project and the various kinds of decisions you made during the process.
Some samples of Musical Scrolls from past years (in the following order: Alan Tung, Jessie Tsai, Darragh Rosenberg, Kanae Hatanyama, Yasmin Malki, Inkyung Park, and Alexi Burns).
(Click on images to enlarge):
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