Tag Archives: Collaboration

Jan 30 2012
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Music, Visual Arts

Patchwork: The City Swells

Patchwork: The City Swells

The City Swells

In this European capital invaded by lights/ Travelers who have taken flights to come and see the sights/ The crowd swells to dangerous heights/ In the distance street performer yells “That’s all for tonight.”/ Santa’s sleigh on display various nights/ Parents brave the cold with jackets and tights/ Earmuffed Munchkin children hold on tight/ This city’s alight

I walk gingerly/ On this history/ These streets a mystery/ What happened here and when?/ Centuries of women and men/ Holidays spent in different fashion Ramadan back then/ Then the Christian kings established the crown/ And the lights went up and never came down/ Today’s the same way a slightly changed town/ These streets fit for horses not porches you find now

So I live in this city that slowly becomes mine/ Discovering places I’m still waiting to find/ No distractions of home memory clouds the mind/ Watch friend’s successes look how far they climb!/ And in such a short time/ Congrats on the victories/ I know we’d rise to infamy/ In our prime/ And while I keep busy I find I miss you/ i hope you’re missing me/ Sometimes

P hit us with The City Swells back on December 5, 2011 in Callao, Madrid – an original, perceptive, and deep track, to say the least!! When I sat down to create my Patchwork piece, I aimed to capture and interpret what The City Swells really meant. I went through a process of deconstructing P’s written lyrics, his a Capella recording, and finally the full track that I re-posted at the top of this post. For a couple hours deep into the night, before I even got to working on my final piece, I listened and analyzed this track over and over, trying to re-create “the city,” thoughts, and feelings P expressed through his work. Through 3 initial studies on 18″x24″ newsprint where I just put down images, words, and gestures that I felt were central to P’s track, I gradually built up developed my ideas, and using india ink, oil pastel, and white watercolor paint, I created Patchwork: The City Swells.

Reflection and Response.

V.

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Jan 23 2012
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Music, Visual Arts

These People Are My People: A Story

The Organ Song/ Tools of the Trade

This week’s original post is a collaboration between V and P. Back in the Basement of the 55thandBrooklyn house in Seattle, P wrote a tune with a story. V later wrote up the lyrics on parchment and together the two pieces “The Organ Song,” and “Tools of the Trade,” become These People Are My People: A Story.

Instrumental

Acapella

Full Track

Lyrics

Reflection and Response.

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Nov 21 2011
2 Comments
Music, Photography, Visual Arts

Tuition Well Spent: A Progression

(Visuals by Vicken Donikian. Audio by Peter Muller and friends)

Ideas progress.

I wrote The Rain in 2007 in Seattle during a bout of particularly bad weather. A few days later my bandmate from Tuition Well Spent, Mike, wrote the lyrics for the tune which would become “The Love.”

The Rain

The Love

We then performed the song live at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre at UW in 2007 and had our friend Ben do some drumming and Whitney Killian added some harmonies.

The Love (Live)

I then asked V do to some art for the Myspace page and I sent him some pics and he sent back the two visuals that accompany this post.

Progression on a multi-medium level.

Reflection and Response

-P and V

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Aug 31 2011
2 Comments
Music, Photography, Visual Arts

First Contact

Whatup! Welcome to the LIFESTYLE.

Growing up together, our friendship always involved collaboration, creativity, and consciousness.

This relationship continues to inspire us to reflect on and respond to our realities.

We believe that communication and connection drive active engagement with one’s environment. We’re looking for the LIFESTYLE to become a venue for dialogue and artistic exchange, with the idea that such activity promotes personal and social activism.

the LIFESTYLE has 5 main elements:

  1. Music
  2. Art
  3. Photography
  4. the Collective
  5. Influences

Although music and visual art are our primary forms of expression, the LIFESTYLE’s value of collaboration involves including your thoughts and contributions as part of the Collective. Hit us with your comments, insight, and creative expressions; we look forward to speaking with you.

Keep in touch with us as we expand the LIFESTYLE.

Peace!

Peter and Vicken

Reflection and Response.

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