As I mentioned in my January post, my art exhibit is opening at the Revelation Gallery, at St. John’s in the Village, on March 3. Fr. Graeme Napier
had the brilliant idea of bringing a synesthesia component to the opening reception by inviting musicians to perform 1-minute compositions for each of the 14 works of art. I love this idea! I often see color when I listen to jazz music, and I think it will be wonderful to enhance the experience of the artwork by adding the element of music.
Magical Musicians
Quite magically, musicians appeared and volunteered to perform for free, anchored by my dear friend and beautiful singer-pianist-composer, Hannah Reimann. What had seemed like an unimaginable leap into a new realm of artistic expression happened almost effortlessly, thanks to Hannah’s generous offering of her time and connections. I lined up musicians for each piece, and then made arrangements to rent a projector so I could display a large form of the miniature artwork on the wall behind the piano for people to see while the musicians played.
How Does It Taste?
This got me thinking about the other senses—taste, smell, and touch. I wasn’t sure I’d have enough time to make arrangements for everything by March 3, but it seemed like everything was coming together beautifully, including printing a new piece to include in the exhibit, “Bruce’s Handbag”! (See the January post.)
So I looked at the list of artwork I had prepared for the musicians, and began sensing into the flavors of each piece. I came up with some ideas of what the images evoked, and then began phoning around the neighborhood to source the food and drink. Of course I had to cover the basics as well—wine and cheese, water! After assigning those to the appropriate pieces, there was room to really play. This is the result:
| longing
|
Hannah piano
Banana pudding |
night
|
Steve piano
Licorice allsorts |
| paris
|
Steve
Cheese! |
mindfuck
|
Aeon harp & percussion
Red wine |
| psyche
|
Aeon 3 voices
Electric Kool-Aid |
1820
|
Hannah
Whipped cream |
| moonscape
|
Hannah
Silver star candies |
clarity
|
Steve
Water |
| rain
|
Steve
Rootbeer |
bliss
|
Aeon 3 voices + strings
Jelly bellies |
| nostalgia
|
Hannah & Steve duet
Blueberry port |
oddity
|
Steve
Colored marshmallows |
| fade
|
Hannah
White wine |
l’ouevre
|
Hannah
Crème brûlée mini cupcakes |
I hope you’ll be able to make it to the opening to hear, taste, and see for yourself.
P.S. There will be surprising opportunities for the senses of touch and smell, as well!