Community-Accountable Design

Journal

Harmonious dissonance and loose cohesion in new work for the Music Gallery

It’s always fun to conduct sonic research in preparation for designing the Music Gallery’s promotions. We do intensive listening sessions of artists who will be featured in upcoming shows, and then simultaneously develop visuals for the different performances.

This batch’s research began with listening to Early Bird, Swimming with Astronauts, and Phonebooth by Plumes, and Genesis and Oblivion from Grimes’ album Visions. More research included checking out Tides by Zones, Drainolith’s Hysteria, tracks from Alex Moskos’ A Month In the Mind, Doom Tickler’s Furious Pulse and Sluggish, as well as watching video by The New Flesh and looking at Tasman Richardson’s installation and print work.

We built upon the conceptual direction of experimental graphic music notation, and created three designs that are loosely connected in their visual weirdness. For the latest batch, we worked with art created by Tasman Richardson, we mashed up the look and feel of Plumes and Grimes, and visualized the sonic range of Pleasence Records.

The Pleasence Records show in particular pushed us to explore discordant aesthetics and explore disharmonious forms. Luckily for us, the Music Gallery embraces uncomfortable visuals, just as it does uncomfortable music. It’s always a pleasure to innovate and experiment alongside this visionary bunch.