Prompt
Read page 120 to 175 from the chapter “Cosmic Consciousness” from Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900 (Thames & Husdon, 2005) and select two of the films that we watched today by Belson, (one of) the Whitneys, Cuba and/or Schwartz and write a two to three paragraph reflection on how them. How are they similar? How are they different? What conceptual basis do they share? What are their influences? Etcetera. Also address how the Vortex Concert series and the later light shows by other groups have influenced our current experiences at pop concerts and dance music events.
In Calculated Movements, I can clearly see the change in music through the motion of different patterns. Each note and beat corresponds with a movement. However, in Permutations, the patterns are more like following the flow of the music, “creating a kind of ideal world, a universe of linked senses in which all elements–sound, shape, color, and motion–are absorbed into one another”.
The Vortex Concert series and later light shows significantly influenced our current experiences at pop concerts and dance music events. They blended the cool carefree attitude of pop music and the seriousness of high arts. They demonstrate a combination of film, painting, electronic music, performance arts, and so on in an attempt to create an immersive visual and sound experience. Therefore, they set an example and basis for nowadays music events especially electronic dance music with lots of light, visuals, and music in order to create an immersive audiovisual experience. The multi-sensory experience is the key to a good show. The concerts and music events now can gain inspiration from the pioneering work to strengthen the connection with the audience.