Performing Art

Musicians, Visual Artists Collaborate
to Offer Peek at Creative Process

Earlier this month at the opening of its “Seeing Sounds” installation at Gallery S.P.A.C.E. in Savannah, the Creative Force Artist Collective—a newly formed group of about 20 diverse local artists—pulled back the curtain on the seldom-seen creative process, revealing what is for many a mysterious enterprise.

With more than 500 onlookers crowding the Black Box theater, five painters and three sculptors took the usually private, solitary endeavor to center stage. As an ensemble of musicians played improvisational jazz, at times adding a hint of folk, Jody Espina—using the live composing sign language called Soundpainting—conducted the artists, who seemed to capture the vibrations of creative energy emitted by the instruments on their canvases and in their sculptures.

As the visual artists played off the creations of the musicians, and vice versa, a demonstration of the close relationship between various art forms (visual and musical arts, in this case) unfolded before the captivated and intrigued audience—one influencing the other, a symbiotic exchange of inspiration. And after 45 minutes, four original paintings and three sculptures had been created as a result.

“We hope to develop a greater understanding of the creative process in our audience,” said Jerome Meadows, who played a major role in forming the Collective and producing the “Seeing Sounds” exhibition. “Being able to see artists in the process of creating and experiencing the same environment as the artists allows the audience to ‘see the sounds’ or see the creative expression as it is occurring.”

By all accounts, the goal was achieved, making this a must-see performance, especially for those unfamiliar with the creative process. Originally slated as a one-time event, its success has warranted another performance, scheduled for this evening at the Jepson Center for the Arts—a perfect conclusion to an amazing opening weekend of the Savannah Music Festival. If you missed “Seeing Sounds” Live the first time around or couldn’t squeeze into the Black Box for a comfortable view, head over to the Jepson tonight at 6:30 p.m. and experience a creative energy sure to inspire.

UPDATE
Check out videos of “Seeing Sounds” at the Jepson Center for the Arts on Sunday night posted on the Creative Force Artist Collective site.
—DWM, 03/23/09

The “Seeing Sounds” exhibition, which includes a group installation in the center of the gallery (a 40-foot serpentine wall that again merges the worlds of music and visual arts), runs through April 7th at Gallery S.P.A.C.E. at 9 West Henry Street.