The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
August 12, 2021

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Chioma Ince
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Discussion
Chioma Ince
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music
Written by
Chioma Ince
Date Published
12/08/2021
Music
Andy Warhol
Design
African Art
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS
12/08/2021
Discussion
Chioma Ince
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art And Music

Art like music is interwoven into our culture, identity, being and everyday lives. They are mediums of escapism and solace, tools of communication and reflection. Some may describe music as an art form in itself and they would be right. Sound and art are interwoven like paint and canvases. Even the way we digest music in popular culture is through a visual artistic lens. From album covers, music videos, billboards and editorial campaigns, the symbiotic relationship between art and music is ingrained into the fabric of our society.

Art can be used to elevate music, to translate sound into a visual language that resonates with your soul and never leaves your mind. Take a moment, do you remember the moment your favourite artists released a new album? What was the first thing that will forever stay in your mind’s eye? Bingo, the album art! The album art is like a gateway into the world you are about to enter, the start of your transcendent. From my experience, the artwork further pushes the concepts present in music through by introducing new interdisciplinary modes of expressions.

Music like visual art is universal and can be understood across cultures and languages. But as we all know art is subjective, let’s take everyone’s favourite superstar villain Kayne West. Say what you will about Mr West: the award winning, rapper, record producer, businessman and fashion designer.  One thing that is undeniable is his creative mind and the controversy he stirs up. In 2010, he released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with a various album covers painted by George Condo. The collaboration between the two American creatives was a perfect match. The surreal works by Condo took you into the cryptic maze which is the beautiful dark twisted mind of Kayne West and the fans loved it.

George Condo Kayne West album cover
George Condo Kayne West album cover

The creative process was almost like a life drawing session: “West came to Condo’s studio, where for several hours they listened to tapes of his music, and over the next few days Condo made eight or nine paintings. Two of them were portraits of West, one in extreme closeup, with mismatched eyes and four sets of teeth. Another showed his head, crowned and decapitated, placed sideways on a white slab, impaled by a sword. There was also a painting of a dyspeptic ballerina in a black tutu, a painting of the crown and the sword in a grassy landscape, and a lurid scene of a naked black man on a bed, straddled by a naked white female creature with fearsome features, wings, no arms, and a long, spotted tail.”

Visual campaigns with artists for upcoming albums and tours has been a marketing tool for generations. Whether it is through their controversial nature or the sheer brilliance of the artwork, there have been many magical moments created through the marriage or music and art. Some of the many iconic collaborations to name a few include Andy Warhol’s album covers for Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, Abdul Mati Klarwein’s cover for Miles Davis and Ernie Barnes’ artwork for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You.  

Andy Warhol Aretha album cover
Andy Warhol Aretha album cover

However, art is not always a separate form of expression from sound in for many emerging and successful artists; sound art is their preferred medium. Sound art is a term which refers to “Art which uses sound both as its medium (what it is made out of) and as its subject (what it is about)”. We have seen the evolution of this medium through the works of futurist and fluxus artists, and movements like Dadaism and Fluxus.

If you are interested in art, music and sound art then here are some exciting contemporary artists creating new and innovative works.


Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh is a Nigerian multisensory artist based in Berlin. He connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste. Through his audio installations and gastronomic works, Ogboh explores how private, public, collective memories and histories are translated, transformed and encoded into sound and food. These works contemplate how auditory and gustatory experiences capture existential relationships, frame our understanding of the world and provide a context in which to ask critical questions on immigration, globalization, and post-colonialism.

Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.
Emeka Ogboh. Photo by Michael Danner.

Emeka currently has a show on as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The new public artwork, co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh Art Festival, is a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding the UK’s departure from the European Union. A critical political discourse surrounding themes of displacement, politics, community, home, migration and belonging, Song of the Union gives a voice to those who were unable to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The installation Song of the Union will be showing until 29th August 2021.


Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.)

Black Obsidian Sound System is a collective  formed in 2018 with the purpose of unifying a community of queer, trans and non-binary black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism.  They challenge the dominant norms of sound-system culture across the African diaspora through club nights, art installations, technical workshops and creative commissions. Following in the legacies of sound system culture, they wanted to learn, build and sustain a resource for our collective struggles. The system, based in London, is available to use or rent by community groups and others with the purpose of amplifying and connecting them.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019

The collective has also been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2021, therefore you can find their work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry from 29th September 2021 to 12th January 2022 as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

Thanks for reading
Collect your 5 yamos below
REDEEM YAMOS