CREATIVITY and MAKING_Richter

Again, I thought there was supposed to be sound but there was nothing so I was confused at first. Watching the video was an odd experience. I realized after a while that the rectangular shapes moving across the screen in various ways was the “music.” Although there was no real audio, the movement of the shapes mimicked instruments in a symphonic performance. The video was essentially the conductor of an invisible symphony known and “heard” only by each individual listener within their own mind. Visual cues such as size and color guide the mind through the piece. A gradual increase or decrease in the size of a single shape correlates (in my mind, at least) to a gradual increase or decrease in volume—a visual crescendo or decrescendo. More than one rectangle appearing on screen told me to add more instruments. If a rectangle was brought to the front while one in the background faded out but was still visible, I knew to let most of the sounds fade to background noise while one stood more prominently—a solo of sorts. I also interpreted the switch from black background with white rectangles to white background with black rectangles as a key change. The pace was fast and it was difficult for me to keep up, actually. Replaying the piece in my mind, it’s easier to pick apart what it was that I found recognizable about various movements on the screen, but trying to follow along in real time quickly became overwhelming. Even on a third watch through I struggled to follow the video conductor’s directions, but it was overall an interesting experience.

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