Page 105 - AC-2-4

Arts & Communication On the interplay between painting and music

The long-lasting interaction between the two forms of art both emotional and cognitive effects on visitor experience.
is also leveraged in music iconography, a discipline within In addition, a study conducted at the UCL Grant Museum
3
musicology that studies visual representations of musical of Zoology in London found that using sounds relevant
topics (such as portraits of performers and composers, as to exhibits increased visitor interest, engagement, and
well as musical scenes that depict instruments, occasions of participation. 12
music-making or performances), providing a rich source The integration of music as a vehicle to enhance visitor
of information on musical practices of the past. Standing reflection has been a topic of interest in various fields
at the crossroads between history studies, art history, including education, ethnomusicology, and sociology.
sociology, anthropology, and ethnomusicology, research Aaron explored the potential of integrating music with
4
13
in music iconography fosters communication between core subjects in the educational setting, emphasizing the
experts in different fields, contributing valuable insights significance of music as a medium to facilitate learning and
into the history of both music and visual arts. reflection in students. Research studies suggest that music
However, what about the broader public? How can could be a vital tool in enhancing cognitive processes and
people who are non-experts in both arts be informed fostering a deeper connection with the subject matter,
about this long-lasting and creative interchange between thereby increasing reflection and understanding, across
13
the two artistic communities? With the advent of digital different cultures and societies. Another study suggests
14
technology, exhibition designers and contemporary artists that music serves as a technology that can facilitate mental
often attempt to communicate this dialog by staging it as a well-being through the process of emotional reflection,
multisensory experience. For instance, the art exhibition thereby making individuals feel better and more connected
titled “No more shall we part” contained paintings of to themselves. Although not exclusively focused on
15
the Greek artist Stefanos Rokos that were inspired by music, research has suggested that narrative experiences
1
songs from the titular music album by “Nick Cave & can be seen as complementary to the reflective experiences
The Bad Seeds,” and its visitors were enabled to hear the induced by music. Therefore, when music is interpreted
16
corresponding song while viewing each painting (using alongside any other cultural practice, it can be a potent
17
earbuds). tool in increasing visitor reflection across various domains.
Visual art and music appeal to different senses and It is worth noting that, apart from vision and hearing,
cultivate diverse esthetic emotions, while different recent museology advocates for multisensory museums 18,19
5
emotional responses may be cultivated when experienced that rehabilitate additional senses in the visiting
in a combined way. In this line, several contemporary experience, including not only touch but also smell and
artists, such as Serj Tankian, have been creating “mixed- taste in the interpretation of museum objects. A number
media paintings”, in the sense that each painting is meant to of case studies have been developed in that direction,
20
be “experienced” along with a music composition (which, demonstrating how to make sense of “the properties
in the case of Tankian, is created by himself). Hence, when of things” to design embodied interactions and move
21
the visitors to his art exhibition “Shapeshift: A Dynamic toward “sensory museology.” 22
Dive Into Diversity” were standing in front of a painting, This work focuses on the senses of vision and hearing,
2
they could point their mobile phones at the artwork and leveraging mobile devices: when users scan the image of
listen to the corresponding music piece.
a visual artwork, a related music piece starts playing on
Music influences various facets of human existence, the device and short narratives are displayed on screen.
impacting our perception, cognitive processes, and In contrast to works that use sounds and other auditory
behavioral responses. In museums, galleries, and heritage resources to enrich the viewing experience of artworks, in
6
places, music and sounds are occasionally used to create our case, the music piece is a cultural item in its own right
an immersive environment. Studies show how the use (e.g., a music composition by Beethoven, the recording
of music in exhibitions creates positive emotions and of a Maria Callas’ performance, and so on), which is
strengthens memories, increases visitors’ learning and semantically related to the visual artwork on some level.
7-9
visit duration. In addition, Chen and Tsai conducted
10
11
interviews with museum visitors who had heard various We present our approach to follow in the footsteps
musical genres while visiting. The analysis of interview of contemporary artists and provide “mixed-media
data demonstrated that background music at museums has interpretations” for a variety of visual artworks and music
pieces that span over different time eras, aiming to reflect
1 https://stefanosrokos.gr/exhibitions/no-more-shall-we-part the creative dialog and multifaceted interaction between
2 https://www.heaviestofart.com/post/in-conversation-with- their creators through time. The contribution of this work
serj-tankian is twofold: (1) we present a methodology to create related

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 2 doi: 10.36922/ac.2367