Vism.ag & Creative Maps Blog

These are so beautiful, saw them in Aperture from fellow tutor. Think they are from 2007 so apologies if it is repeating an over posted project but they are brilliant from the open ended group. 

88 x 84

'We compare the “Gloria” section of Bach’s Mass in C to that of another contrapuntal mass — in this case, Beethoven’s Mass in C major of 1807.

The paired scores are rotated counter-clockwise, allowing time to run upwards. The words of the Mass are arranged on their inner margins. We track and inscribe the order in which the singers advance through the words, illuminating the ebb and flow of vocal time in counterpoint.' http://openendedgroup.com/index.php/artworks/breath/breath-web/

Might not be able to discern exact data from them and are more aesthetically inspiring in form than function, but does make music look as good as it sounds.

 

'I believe in God — Bach’s God. (Glenn Gould)

The Latin text of the Roman Mass has been set to music repeatedly throughout the history of Western music. Since that text has been relatively stable since the 11th century, it forms a useful constant when set within different musical scores, allowing us to make unusual but telling comparisons among them.

Having chosen Bach’s Mass in B minor of 1749 as the canonical work, we compared it to two other contrapuntal compositions. In this lightbox we compare the “Gloria” sections of Bach’s composition and Ockeghem’s Missa Mi-mi of the 15th century. In the next lightbox, we compare Bach with Beethoven.

The paired scores are rotated counter-clockwise, allowing time to run upwards. The words of the Mass are arranged on their inner margins. We track and inscribe the order in which the singers advance through the words, illuminating the ebb and flow of vocal time in counterpoint. In this fashion, the unique differences of the musical structures disclose themselves to the eye: the concise clarity of Ockeghem, the intricate enumeration of Bach, and the complex convolution of Beethoven.' http://openendedgroup.com/index.php/artworks/breath/breath-web/

 

Collaborators

Jane Moss, Mostly Mozart Artistic Director, instigated and oversaw the project with the able assistance of her colleagues Jon Nakagawa, Chris Gentile, and others.

Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis Architects (Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, David J. Lewis, Jason Dannenbring, Julian Rose) created the physical design.

Robert Wierzel was the lighting designer, with Jeff Harris the assistant lighting designer.

Ruth Cunningham and Elizabeth Baber, together with the singers of New York Polyphony, performed the source music.