Curatorial Statement

“A Whole New World” explores the music behind the famous song from Disney’s Aladdin it is named after by creating a visual map that depicts the adventure suggested by the music of the song. It incorporates the teachings of Kandinsky with the original visual depiction of the song to create a new visual composition that gives simultaneously a more literal and more abstract depiction of the song.

Kandinsky’s studies of circles suggested that circles are a visual representation of notes and that when circles of certain shapes and colors are placed together, they can create music. He also wrote about colors and how different tones can have different effects: blues are cool and calming, yellows are warm and energetic, are reds are in-betweens. “A Whole New World” incorporates those teachings in order the give the viewer an idea of what is happening during specific moments in both the piece and the song. For example, when the music picks up, becomes more energetic, or grows higher in pitch, yellow dots are used. And when the music becomes calmer, slower, and steadier, blue dots are used. The exact shades of colors used in the piece were taken directly from the original visuals in the movie during the song, in order to this piece back to its inspirational source. The size of the dots also play a key role in the composition, for larger and more spaced-out circles are used to suggest longer and slower notes in the song, while smaller and close-together dots suggest fast-paced notes and an overall more energetic feeling.

The work is meant to give the viewer a visual interpretation of the music behind “A Whole New World.” It gives the viewer another angle from which to analyze the song, for it pays more attention to the music and its effects, rather than the adventures that were originally portrayed during the song in the movie.