Stills from Pictures at an Exhibition, video (35 minutes), January 2019
(Original piano composition by Modest Mussorgsky and orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel)
(Original piano composition by Modest Mussorgsky and orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel)
ARTIST STATEMENT
An ekphrastic poem vividly describes a scene or, more frequently, a work of art. Pictures at an Exhibition is an ekphrastic work, as each movement describes a work of Viktor Hartmann's art, not in words, but in sound. In several cases in which a movement’s original painting is unknown, the video component brings the sensory and artistic experiences full-circle, delivering visuals based on only a title, imagery the music suggests to the video artist, and sometimes additional background information. Each new reinterpretation puts artists and composers who are inspired by each other’s work into creative conversation across time and space.
In a nod to Hartmann’s artistic media of choice, the videos employ digital templates (Creation Art Effects for Adobe After Effects) that give the appearance of a variety of physical media, ranging from watercolor to pencil and pastel.
Dress rehearsal with the Beaverton Symphony Orchestra preparing to perform with live video accompaniment
Beaverton, OR, January 2019