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Art/Design, Music

Music as Visual Art

Dec 17. 2006

Are you a musician? Do you play a musical instrument? Do you know how to read music? If any of these questions pertains to you, you might be interested in a composer named George Crumb. Crumb is famous for distorting his scores in shapes indicative of the mood he's trying to set. Case in point, the spiral-shaped score for "Spiral Galaxy: Aquarius": Try playing THAT. I wish I had a piano handy. A few more examples of his scores can be viewed here. (And if you can read Japanese, maybe you can tell me what the site says.) Reading about Crumb reminded me of one of my favorite painters, Wassily Kandinsky. Considered to be one of the fathers of abstract expressionism, Kandinsky was fascinated with the emotional response evoked...

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Geek in Heels
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Art/Design, Marketing/Advertising

Olympic Mascots

Dec 11. 2006

Here are the mascots of the 2008 Olympics, which is being held in Beijing: The "Five Friendlies" represent the largest number of mascots since the practice began in 1972. You can find out more about them at http://en.beijing2008.com/37/03/column211990337.shtml. The website includes a history of the Olympic mascot(s), and immediately my eyes were drawn to Hodori, the mascot of the 1988 Seoul Games: I don't think I'm being biased in believing that he's the most charismatic, attractive, and well-designed of the 9 featured in the "Olympic Mascots of the past Olympiad" section. Which do you think is the best? Looking at Hodori brought back fond memories. Hodori was everywhere right before I came to the US (my family immigrated in spring 1988). Thus, my fondest and most vivid memories of my former...

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Art/Design, Colors, Personal

My Skewed Perception

Nov 15. 2006

When I was little I believed that some people were better at drawing because they had better motor skills. In reality, it has more to do with perception and brain functions: the ability to differentiate space, light, and shadows. Steady hands are a plus, but they are not required. An old art teacher once told me that I had a rare gift of seeing color. She said that I was better at differentiating and mixing color than some of her former colleagues, who were professional color mixers. (Yes, this profession existed before the advent of computers.) Now although I may not use this gift in every day life (dressing, makeup, etc), I often find myself staring at an interesting color and mixing it in my head. And I've given up describing...

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Geek in Heels
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