BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
What does classical music look like?
The Melbourne Youth Orchestras have teamed up with Melbourne design studio Jacky Winter to find an answer, and they’re sharing it with concertgoers through a series of visual guides.
Through the Visualising Classical Music project, four classical works are reimagined as visual listening guides. But the result is nothing like looking at sheet music. Instead, it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and musical skill levels, as these original illustrations invite the listener to engage in the works in an entirely new way.
In this series, we interview each of the four artists involved in the project. First up, we heard from Ellen Porteus, who illustrated Verdi for a performance in February; and Eirian Chapman, who illustrated Death and Transfiguration in April. Now, we introduce you to Dylan Martorell ahead of the MYO’s concert Mahler 1 on 10 June. His illustration (above) represents the Barber Violin Concerto on the program.
Dylan is a Melbourne artist-musician who works across mediums from sound design to costume and illustration. You’ll find references to myth and nature in his works. His clients have included Rolling Stone Magazine and The New Yorker, among others.
Hi Dylan! Tell us how you got involved with the MYO and why you liked the sound of the project.
I was approached to work with the MSO via Jacky Winter Group, the illustration that represents my illustration work. I said yes straight away, as I am a musician and use visual scores as part of my practice.
Most of my scores are based on plant growth structures, and follow the laws of nature and various algorithms in the production of the scores; so the visual element comes first, with the music a secondary result.
This project was the opposite, and I must admit I found it quite challenging, even with my experience of producing my own works.
What do you feel is the relationship between music and art?
Both, to varying degrees, are based on the use of combinations of materials, structures and temporalities to express non-linguistic concepts, emotions, and realities. Combining the two mediums can be a very successful way of bridging concepts and senses.
How did you choose to “visualise classical music”, and what does the illustration offer to the viewer?
I wanted to treat the work in an abstract manner but after completion of the initial sketches, where I tried to visualise the speeds and intensities of the music, I realised I had created a landscape of sorts complete with weather patterns that could be used as the backdrop to a fantastic narrative.
In the end, I thought this approach would be more appealing to a younger audience. The artwork loosely illustrates a journey of sorts through day and night across the mountains and seas, landing on an alien landscape.
It was done using pen and ink, which I drew at 200 per cent, then scanned and shrunk down to the right dimensions.
There are three movements each represented by a separate heavenly body. The main instrument, the violin, alternates between being represented in red then black; the other parts of the image representing the other instruments of the orchestra.
I found the whole process quite challenging, but after the breakthrough of the landscape concept, the piece came together nicely.
Check back in again soon to meet more of the artists behind the Visualising Classical Music project!
The next MYO concert featuring illustrated guides will be Mahler 1, 2.30pm June 10 at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
READ NEXT: Illustrating classical music: Ellen Porteus
Images supplied.
