ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Timothy Lee
Question/Issue
My project will attempt to match photos with music, capturing the essence of the photo in a song. I seek to answer the question for music listeners: what elements make music sound good. This is a personal question which is somewhat subjective, but the root of which lies in tangible elements such as tone, dynamics, rhythm, and harmony. These elements come together to evoke an emotion, idea, or setting, which I am attempting to illustrate with images.
Approach
I seek to establish the emotions and atmosphere that each image conveys, explaining my own process and inspiration behind each track. I created music tracks on my laptop and assigned them various pictures to further outline its emotional and visual significance.
Impact
This project’s main purpose is to convey the complexity of emotional expression in music. By demonstrating how individual elements can contribute to the overall atmosphere of a piece, the project itself is essentially a demonstration of artistic expression.
References
Using previous works of emotional music for reference and guidance from artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller. These artists have created highly vivid and emotional tracks, and observing their techniques I can further understand how to create vivid tracks of my own.
David Brackett, The Pop, Rock and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates (3rd Edition). New York:
Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-19-981170-0
Joseph G. Schloss, Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman, Rock: Music, Culture, and Business.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-19-975836-4
Thurston, Dawn, and Morris Ashcroft Thurston. Breathe Life into Your Life Story: How to Write a Story People Will Want to Read. Signature Books, 2007.
Boyce, Tommy. How to Write a Hit Song ... and Sell It. Wilshire Book Co., 1978.
Lamar, Kendrick. “The Art of Peer Pressure.” good kid, m.A.A.d city, Top Dawg
Entertainment, 2012, Track 4.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my studio mentor Sensugang, City's Best Studio in Olney, and the Hollow Studio in Germantown for assisting me and guiding during both the creative and post production processes.