From Line to Shape to Space: Composition as Representation of The Visual Elements

Abstract

It is widely understood that the experience of music exists beyond that of just listening. The idea that audience members draw pictures in their mind or trace shapes with their hands while listening to music has been well studied. This thesis draws from this research and examines it from the mirror image: what if instead of studying the images created while experiencing music, I pre-empted this and translated pre-constructed images into music. In order to create a framework around this translation, I draw from visual art theory and pedagogy, namely the concept of The Visual Elements from Otto G. Ocvirk, et. al’s Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice, Twelfth Edition (2012). Through the duration of this project, I created seven original compositions, five of which explore the translation of visual elements. In this thesis, I first present relevant literature, including quantitative research around cross-modal perception and later around the visual elements and their musical translations. Then, I discuss my compositional portfolio, methodological and analytical approaches. Finally, I will present my analysis, demonstrating how I translated the different visual elements in my body of work. This analysis is segmented based on the different elements, line, shape, form, space, colour, value, and texture. I used the idea of translating visual elements as a concept to broaden my composition technique and content inspiration.