EYEmusic Graphic Scores-first series

EYEmusic began as an investigation of the idea of what a musical score could be using the shared territory of language, music and visual art. The drawings are created from a story, either personal to me, or as a commissioned piece using another individual’s life event as the initial source of inspiration. In the process of listening to an individual’s telling of their story, aspects where my life experiences intersect with the individuals. They become woven into a combined narrative. This interwoven story, the experience of lives intersecting affects and changes my life, creating a certain sympathetic and empathetic energy that imbues the drawing and links the story to the graphic score. The story is transfigured into a visual retelling through mark making, thus creating a unique musical score, which now also exists as visual art. When viewed as a score by musicians, there is no specific notation symbol, rather, the work is to be viewed as a visual work by the musicians. From their observation of the score, the musicians will derive a reaction to the marks, lines, shapes and patterns. From there the story enriches and shapes the musicians’ interpretations of the marks in a process not dissimilar from the storytelling found in traditional music rehearsals. Each graphic score has an accompanying story. In contrast to traditional program music, the stories of EYEmusic scores are hidden. They are given to the musicians only. The stories act as a lens, focusing the performer’s interpretation of the visual art. The audience sees the visual art and listens to the music. The audience is free to make connections based on their experience of the score and the music.