Artist Statement
Xavier Aung-Thwin
My style of art aims to send the viewer into a state of perception and self reflection. I will be using my camera to film all sides of a subject, including the positive and negative ways it impacts us. My goal is not to control or create a narrative, but to simply create a thought pattern in the viewer’s mind. I will encourage these reflections by displaying human behavior we exhibit on a daily basis and asking why we do some of these things. Humanity has existed for so long that sometimes we forget the reasons for some of our traditions. For example, people have been getting married and working 9 to 5 jobs for hundreds years and many of us have not taken the time to question why we do it.
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My goal is to start the process so that people can become more independent and think for themselves. I enjoy having a simple subject because they are universal and anyone has the chance to reflect their views and experiences on the subject. It is my belief that once an idea is formed in your mind you will be much more likely to identify both a problem and its solution. My art is aimed to lead people into the right direction not to push them into my ideals.
Crative reserch Project
Miles Davis
Bitches Brew
Work Cited
Today, I will be taking a look at Miles Davis’ 1970 studio album Bitches Brew. This revolutionary album holds many treasures in its sound scape, production and cover art which caused it to be one of Mile Davis’ most influential albums. In this essay, I will be exploring the components that make this art work so unique.
On March 30, 1970 Miles Davis released his studio double album titled “Bitches Brew”. Miles had sat down with over a dozen established and up and coming musicians in order to create this six track project. Miles began looking for a new sound to incorporate into his music and this album started his deep dive into electric piano and guitar.(All Music, n/a) At this point in his career Miles had long abandoned his ‘cool jazz’ faze and was now diving deep into a much more intense, eerie and psychedelic type of music. This is in full display as this album has 20 plus minute songs, a high level of fluctuating timbre and long moments of suspense which evoke mystery. While this album received mixed reviews upon its release it slowly became Miles’ best selling album and established the genre known as jazz-rock fusion. (All Music, n/a)
This album is accompanied by a painting by the French surrealist painter of German origin named Malti Klarwein. Before working on this painting, Malti was known for very vivid and colorful imagery. He used popular psychedelic imagery, and expresses themes of religion, race and sexuality. For this specific cover, Klarwein painted with a technique called ‘Mischtechnik’. This gives the painting a glowing appearance by layering tempera and oil paints.(Far Out, n/a) The result is a beautiful sculpted image that ties in perfectly with the themes of the album.
In my opinion, these two artworks are some of the best complementary pieces I have ever seen published together. The feeling of being overwhelmed brought forth by this album is wonderfully depicted by the two figures standing in the foreground. The correlation between humans and nature sounded by the electrical and brass instruments is shown as a thunderstorm ravaging the sea as it stays looming over the horizon. The psychedelic themes are pulled from the bystanders mind’s as their humanity is mixed with the powers of nature. There is also a large portion of blue sky, which contrasts with the loud and unpredictable storm. This clear sky represents the silent and reserved portions of the album, which spends its time fighting away the storm. Finally, a large figure watches from above, but not as an overseeing being. This figure is battling the sweat dripping from her face. The amount of sweat is reminiscent of Miles himself, as after long sessions he would find himself soaking from all the energy he had exasperated. (Miles Davis, 1970)
‘Mile runs the voodoo down’ is a wonderfully constructed song that perfectly displays the essence of the album. Starting with slow but intriguing sounds, we are invited into a unique soundscape surrounded by a smooth melody accompanied by sharp noises which help build tension. After this enticing beginning, we are swooped a chaotic mix of loud and unfiltered sounds that escalate as the song evolves. This song fits so well with the artwork because of the story, it is able to tell without the use of a narrative or words. We are able to feel the emotions in the sounds and they reflect the feeling we find on the cover of the album. This is why these pieces of art complement each other so well. (Miles Davis, 1970)
I think that the art of finding the perfect album covers is something that has been in steady decline for well over a decade. This album is able to give us two fantastic forms of art and mixes them together to create a well balanced end product. With the combination of Miles’ fantastic and revolutionary musical talent mixed with Malti’s raw and turbulent brush strokes, we are able to combine the two into one great work of art. I personally loved doing the research for the essay since I have yet to find a collection of music that leaves me this intrigued. I was also allowed to learn about the cover art which I had always admired but never took the time to look into.
Far Out Magazine, The Cover Uncovered: The story behind Miles Davis' album cover for 'Bitches Brew' by Malti Klarwein. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/miles-davis-album-bitches-brew-cover-story/
AllMusic, Bitches Brew - Miles Davis: Songs, Reviews, credits.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/bitches-brew-mw0000188019
Miles Davis, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. Youtube. April 1970.
LEAP Poster
Taking leaps is a crucial part of living. As humans, we must take a series of life-changing leaps in order to make it to our end goal. A large reason people are afraid to take the jump is all the judgment around failure. In a hyper judgmental environment like a coliseum, you have no choice but to run as fast as you can and leap past your obstacles. There are steps that will lead to your failure (Broken column) but it is learning from these miss steps that will help you make it on your next try. My musical reference is a war horn. Once you hear this sound, you have no choice but to charge ahead and face whatever is keeping you from achieving the next step. The blue skies get darker as we fall, but it is the bright skies that make us keep jumping. There are many leaps that will end in failure, but once you succeed you will know the price of victory.
Project Proposal
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For my final project, I will be filming a short story using water as the main object that connects us and the world we live in. For the final in my Integrating Arts class, I was asked to create a piece of art displaying themes of connection. My first thought was of water. The molecule that keeps our planet green and has so many incredible uses in our world.
I was encouraged to tell this story because of the uncountable tons of water wasted everywhere around the world. Living on this blue planet it is easy to forget the value of this resource. In my short story called “Wave” I will be displaying many uses we have for water, along with the dangers of not using it.
The reason I am making this a short movie is because it will be the most effective way to spread my message. With other domains it is easy to lose some of the meaning especially if the artist is not comfortable with their art form. That is why I will be using film, since I am experienced and visual cues are easy to interpret.
Schedule:
Week of April 2 to April 16: Filming the core scenes
Week of April 23 to April 30: Begin editing and reworking script according to length of the film.
Week of May 7: Reshoot scenes needed and complete most of the editing.
Week of May 14: Finish editing, add effects and music.
Work in Progress
