Children of the Earth

I agree that a rich visual piece should accompany this song. I also think that the idea of a young child matches the theme better. I understand that you have something surrounding it to represent a womb, but do you have a reason for making it a rainbow? Great work so far!

I think the transition from the first prototype to the second makes sense, but I kind of liked the idea that there was a "book of the world" from which the experience stemmed. The idea that the individual is the recipient of all of a vast and incomprehensible life is not incompatible with your previous idea - that vastness could be represented as a larger book than the objects. Maybe look into a connection between the two, where there is a vast book filled with picture of children that all experience just a small part of the world? Just a thought.

I like the expression that went into your second image though. The way of representing the good and the bad as just part of life makes a lot of sense. The song has its uplifting parts as well as its contemplative parts. Be sure that, however you choose to proceed, you give both their due!

I do like the change to the idea of the fetus! However, I have to question why that fetus is a rainbow color? I only ask because the very bright colors stand out against the black background and my eyes keep getting drawn to it rather than to the pictures inside the womb which hold more significance. Also, since the child is initially innocent but as you said, has no control of the world he is being born into, what if you put the pictures outside the womb instead? That way the child is initially protected in the womb but all the pictures outside it would represent all the factors at play that will eventually influence and shape the child's life? With that said, I think that there is enough material in your 2nd prototype to be able to talk about but I understand how you want to keep that initial story book idea. I would either run with something along your 2nd prototype because I feel the final adds too much to the piece or find some way to integrate the womb and the storybook together in a more fluid way

Thanks for your comments! Many of them made sense to me, and I'm definitely going to consider them in the final piece. I answered some of the questions that you've all had (hopefully) in the project documentation, so feel free to take a look and give your opinion once again!

Actually seeing the most recent iteration here, I think it makes complete sense to take out the book, especially given the reasoning from the previous iteration. It makes sense that it would be too much with the fetus.
I really like the change on opacity, especially considering that the rest of the picture is fairly dark. The color already gives it a fairly strong contrast, and compared to the earlier one this is much more pleasant while still retaining that distinction. The use of the heart rate and connection to other fetuses is also incredibly well thought out. I also like the idea that the color is "feeding" the fetus to create its hues.
I am a little concerned about the opacity of the connected fetuses, as it took me a while to even notice they were there. On the other hand, that might be part of the effect, so I could definitely see leaving those as is. There's also a minor grammatical mistake on the curatorial statement (should say "it is >a< depiction of life" at the start), so it might bear further investigation. Otherwise though, I do like the way it encompasses the goals without getting bogged down in specifics.

This is a really cool piece! Maybe go into more detail about how you made it, but otherwise, I think you're in a good spot!

While I have no experience in critiquing visual art, I hope some of my comments may be helpful.
I think the less vibrant rainbow helped a lot in not distracting the viewer. However, I do think that it might be nice if instead of a rainbow with red orange yellow etc, you had your rainbow gradually transition to more complex colors that might be a little easier on the eyes. I really like your heartbeat monitor idea. I think the fetus actually holds a good level of opacity. Also, the black background is a nice touch as well in contrasting everything. I can see you did a lot of great work between your iterations!