For my final project, I chose to make a visual composition based on the song "Married Life" from Pixar's Up. I chose this song because it is somehow both uplifting and calming at the same time, and I wanted my composition to reflect those two emotions. The song is light and happy, but is punctuated by some quiet, pensive points in the middle (1:13 and 3:15). It uses playful, staccatic instruments (like clarinets and violins) at some points and smoother, softer instruments at other points (like a piano). Hence, I wanted my composition to be hopeful and uplifting, while also being self-reflective.

Here is the Youtube link to the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjAWAUc_33k

Research

I found myself particularly influenced by Wassily Kandinsky's painting, "Several Circles." I loved that circles give off a softer, warmer feeling than any other shape, especially when they are slightly transparent or have a softer edge. In Kandinsky's painting, he overlays circles to create a sense of fluidity in the piece. I wanted to use the same technique to give off a sense of upward movement, which is why I decided to use circles to direct the viewer's eye.

Kandinsky also discusses the role of points in his book Points and Line to Plane. He says that "as the sizes...of the point change, the relative sound of the abstract point likewise is altered." After some consideration, I've concluded that the smallest points create a short staccato sound that is firm and unyielding. In Kandinsky's words, a small point is the "briefest, constant, innermost assertion" that "digs itself into the plane." Large points, on the other hand, are warmer than their smallest counterparts. They create movement because they are not as deeply rooted on the plane as small points. Perhaps this is how Kandinsky creates so much movement in "Several Circles."

I will discuss how I used this research in another section.

Preliminary Outcome