Day 309: Art and Poetry Collaborations

Today in class we were talking about combining art and poetry and how it could work. Generally, people that write poetry aren't that great at visuals, but people who are good with visuals (painting, sculpture, graphic design etc) aren't that great at poetry. Usually people have one specific creative gift they lean towards, but I find that create things I'm no good at (like dance) really inspire me to get creative with words. It's good to work with people of different creative disaplines so we can learn from each other, don't you think?

So how do we make visuals and poetry come together? Which do you enjoy? Do you know anyone who's good at the other? Why not have a chat and see where it goes...?

When I did some digging I found all sorts of collaborations going on. This video was created by James Wray, using typography to animate Robert Frost's 'Mending Wall' poem.

> This poetry sculpture was produced by poet, Linda France and blacksmith, William Pym.



What could you do...?

Day 258: The Sound of Space Music

I don't know about you, but sometimes it blows my mind to think about things outside our world. Even imagining what life must be like in other countries is difficult, but thinking outside of our solar system, well, my thoughts never go there. That was until today!

I found out that over the past three decades astronomers (people who study space) have been listening the the sounds of stars. Even our sun makes noises similar to a bass amp. They kind of vibrate, making sound waves that we have been able to pick up with all our amazing technology. Isn't that incredible! Even the stars in the sky create music.

I mean, this takes creativity to a whole new level for me! What do creative thinkers like us do with this information? We've all seen swirly pictures like the one above and thought how beautiful space can be, right? But to think that things outside our own existence make music too...well, like I say, it blows my mind.

Creativity really is everywhere!

Day 170: Making Music

I feel like I haven't written about music for a while, so I searched the web and found this. It's called Making Music and it does exactly what it says on the tin!

 If you are looking for musical things going on, then see what they've got to offer you.Whether it's singing, learning instruments or getting involved with like-minded musicians...they can help you out and find you a place. Click here to search in your area. You can even add events yourself!

There's also stuff about the Cultural Olympiad. There are loads of creative things going on in the lead up to the Olympics 2012. They want everyone to get involved, so if music is your thing, check out what you can do to get in on the action. I'll keep you posted on other Olympics related creative things for you to get stuck into...watch this space!

So, be inspired and get musical...

Day 132: The sound of...music

Today I found myself walking back to my house in the beautiful sunshine. It was lovely. But, I had a headache (not so nice). If you're familiar with headaches, you can imagine that the bright sunlight made it worse, so I was forced to look at the floor for most of my journey.

You know what? Looking at the floor made me concentrate on things other that what I saw, which was amazing! So often I notice visual stuff and fail to notice what's going on with my other senses.

So, just for you, here are all of the things I heard on my journey home:

As I walked down the road I caught snippets of conversations through open windows and down alleys. The crunch of broken glass beneath my feet put me on edge. Traffic rumbled in the distance, interrupted by a screeching song bird and another and another. The traffic turned into a roar as I approach the busy road and all other sound was lost, except the high pitch alarm of a shop unattended on a Sunday morning. Eventually I moved away, down a side street and the crackle of autumn leaves sounded refreshing in comparison. My own trousers swished, almost in rhythm with my breathing, in and out, in and out. The local radio blared out from somewhere and the rattle of keys round the corner told me I was nearly there. My gate creaked on its hinges and I was home.

So, there you have it, a journey in sound. Have a go the next time you leave your house. What will tickle your ears on your travels...?