Transformative Reflections

nikolaj hess

This project investigates how Transformative Reflections can be developed as a range of methods and processes and how it can be used to create music based on and inspired by paintings. The project has worked with developing a method for translating from painting to composition and improvisation, and making inspiration from another artistic domain tangible. It also seeks to get closer to the artistic material and inspiration that to me seems to lie before the art expresses itself as a work, with an idea of what could be called a pre-art. Methodologically the project explores through four different method categories and an artwork dialogue perspective, both how to get closer to the intrinsic material and values in the reflected work, and to how the extrinsic expressions might translate to meaningful artworks in another domain, in this case music. Furthermore, it investigates the potential of new artistic hybrid art experiences based on the findings and examines the processes and considerations of these. The artistic purpose is through transformative reflections of painting to new works in improvisational and compositional contemporary music (jazz), to create a multidimensional, multisensory art experience space, where the individual work can be experienced both independently and in close communication with a work from another artistic domain.

P6 Events

Transformative Reflections (called TR hereunder) events and elements:

· Presentation Rmc symposium, Sept 2018

· Presentation Bergen Artistic Research Forum DIKU, Sept 2018

· TR hybrid concert and talk Impressions of LA Ring New Nordic Museum Seattle USA, Jan 2020

· TR hybrid concert and talk Impressions of LA Ring online trio Concert Scandinavia House NYC / Millfactory, June 2020

· TR hybrid concert and talk Impressions of LA Ring SMK and Bruce Museum, June 2020

· Presentation RMC, Oct 2020

· Artistic research seminar Cempe, Nov 2020

· Lecture and panel talk with guest artist Vibeke Tøjner, RMC, Feb 2021

· Artistic research conference Eparm, March 2021

· Album release Nikolaj Hess Spacelab & Strings with by-products from the project, June 2021

· Installation music based on TR method for wall carpet part of The King Row exhibition Kronborg, Sept 2021 - present

· Presentation Trondheim Artistic Research Forum, Oct 2020

· Release of album Chess with by-products from TR, Dec 2021

· Visit to MoMA Lab, Matisse The Red Studio x-ray studies, Feb 2022

· TR concert and talk Vejle Kulturhøjskole, Feb 2022

· Presentation Fou Symposium RMC, April 2022

· Concerts Copenhagen Jazz Festival with NYC band. TR integrated part of concerts, July 2022

· TR hybrid solo piano concert with talk about a selection of paintings and development of the music, July 2022

· TR The Red Studio hybrid concert and talk MoMA NYC with Kris Davis, Sept 2022

· Recording Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen and work in studio NYC, Sept 2022

· Recording DK Mikkel Hess Anders Christensen, Sept 2022

· Editing/recomposing music for Red Studio installation at SMK Sept - Oct 2022

· Presentation KUV Center Charlottenborg, Sept 2022

· Concert and peer talk about side-project CHESS at Ircam Forum, Oct 2022

· TR The Red Studio hybrid concert & talk SMK opening of the Exhibition The Red Studio, Oct 2022

· TR Red Studio Suite music installation part of the exhibition The Red Studio at SMK, Oct 2022 - Feb 2023

· Concert tour with Trio in DK, with TR Red Studio, and talk integrated in the performances, Oct 2022

· TR The Red Studio concert & talk US Embassy, Oct 2022

· TR the Red Studio concerts and talk integrated in the performance at Fondation Danoise and L'eglise Danoise Paris, October 2022

· Presentation RMC Symposium, Nov 2022

· TR The Red Studio hybrid solo piano concert SMK with talk and panel discussion with Ph.D. in museum studies and art experience Mette Houlberg Rung, Nov 2022

· Recording Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen and work in studio NYC Jan 2023

· TR The Red Studio hybrid trio concert and talk SMK, Jan 2023

· Recording DK Mikkel Hess Anders Christensen, Feb 2023

· Lecture RMC, Feb 2023

· TR concert and talk Vejle Kulturhøjskole, Marts 2023

· Recording DK Marilyn Mazur, Anders Christensen, April 2023

· TR Beyond the Light concert and talk with Danish 19th-century painting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, April 2023

· TR Beyond the Light concert and talk with Danish 19th-century painting Oden House, NYC, April 2023

· TR concert and talk New Impressions of LA Ring Fuglsang Museum, May 2023

· Release of two TR albums: Transformative Reflections Red Studio Suite and Transformative Reflections The Others, May 2023

· Radio program in Danish National Radio program På værkstedet (at the workshop), talk about TR and my creative processes, May 2023

· RMC podcast about TR, May 2023

· Public presentation and peer review of TR May 31st, 2023

· TR Beyond The Light Concert with talk The Getty Museum LA June 2023

Future Events and Possibilities:

· Fata Morgana – TR from music to painting. Music written for symphony orchestra and jazz trio with live creation of artwork, with the process reflected onto the orchestra members, who wear white full-body dresses, serving as a canvas.

· TR concerts and talks

· Integrating TR in education, lectures, courses, and interdisciplinary workshops with music conservatories and art institutions.

Interviews and documented peer conversations chronologically:

· Dan Tepfer, jazz pianist, composer; Fractals and geometry to music April 4th 2018

· Ted Nash, jazz saxophonist, composer, big band arranger; 7 Shades of Blue – translations of modern painting to jazz orchestra, June 8, 2018

· Carlos Guedes, electronic composer; composition vs. improvisation, June 9, 2018

· Tal R, visual artist; processes, philosophy and the painting Sortedam, Aug 22nd, 2018

· Jacob Lillemose, art curator, critic, and journalist; Duchamp, Aug 24th, 2018

· Karen Harsbo, visual artist, associate professor; interdisciplinarity and connections between visual art and music Aug 28th, 2018

· Eva Jensen, architect; Francesco Borromini transformatively reflecting classic architecture to modern, from the Pantheon to San Carlo alle Quattro Fontan, Aug 29/30, 2018 and August 17, 2022

· Jason Moran, pianist, composer, Professor; Connections between art and music, space and context, Aug 29th, 2018

· Morten Stræde, sculptor; Duchamp and Nude Descending a Staircase, Sept 4th 2018

· Signe Lykke Lyttrup, art historian and philosopher Ph.D.; TR, art experience spaces and art history, Sept 12th, 2018

· Bill Frisell, jazz guitarist composer; his album Richter 858 inspired by artworks by Gerard Richter, Sept 21st, 2018

· Jesper Christiansen, visual artist, Professor emeritus; Virginia Woolf and other literature transferred to his paintings, Oct 3rd, 2018

· Vibeke Tøjner, visual artist, scholar in French Philosophy; inspiration from music, concepts, and processes in general, the phenomenological portraits Camus Face, Feb 7th, 2021

· Dorthe Aagesen, senior researcher SMK, art historian; Matisse and The Red Studio, March 8th 2021

· Anna Clyne, composer; composition and connections to visual art, May 24th, 2021

· Marc Mommaas, saxophonist, composer; experiences and experiments with Kandinsky and connections between painting and improvisation/composition, June 8th, 2022

· Bent Sørensen, composer, Professor; visual art and music June 22nd 2022

· Guillermo Klein, composer, pianist; form and composition ideas in music with inspiration from other fields, June 24th, 2022

· Mie Olise, visual artist; color, processes and artistic philosophy June 27nd 2022

· Carsten Bo Eriksen, composer; composing to pictures, Oct 17th 2022

· Mogens Fosgerau, Professor Economy, Ph.D. mathematics; math, entropy and perspectives on domain transfers, Oct 23rd, 2022

· Evren Tekinoktay, visual artist; processes, painted papercuts, Oct 22nd 2022

· Maibritt Borgen, associate professor, head of laboratory of art research; The Red Studio, Duchamp, TR and interdisciplinarity Oct 31st, 2022

· Bjørn Kruse, composer, Professor emeritus; Thinking Art, interdisciplinarity and discussion about TR Oct 27th 2022

· Carsten Dahl, jazz pianist, visual artist, author, former Professor RMC; painting and music, Nov 5th 2022

· Anders Jormin, bassist, composer, Professor; painting and music, interdisciplinarity, Nov 10th 2022

Critical sparring during the project:

Main sparring throughout the whole project:

· Jens Skou Olsen, bassist, composer, Associate Professor, Ph.D.

· Lars Brinck, former director of artistic research and development RMC, Ph.D.

· Søren Kjærgaard, jazz pianist, composer, associate professor, director of research and development RMC

Other sparring:

· Torben Snekkestad, saxophonist, composer, Professor, PhD

· Jacob Anderskov, pianist, composer, Professor M.S.O. RMC

· Jason Moran, Jazz pianist, composer, former adjunct Professor RMC

Peer reviews:

· Maibritt Borgen, associate Professor, head of laboratory of art research. Written review and respondent at the official presentation of Transformative Reflections at RMC, May 31st, 2023

· Jacob Anderskov, pianist, composer, Professor M.S.O. RMC. Respondent at the official presentation of Transformative Reflections at RMC, May 31st, 2023

· Torben Snekkestad, saxophonist, composer, Professor, Ph.D. Written review

· Søren Kjærgaard, jazz pianist, composer, associate Professor, director of research and development RMC. Written Review

Undocumented peer conversations with

· Cæcilie Balling, violinist; TR and interdisciplinarity

· Mikkel Bogh, art historian, former museum director SMK; translating visual art to music

· Anders Christensen, bassist, composer, producer; roles of instruments, movement in painting and music

· Kris Davis, pianist, composer; The Red Studio, inspiration from visual art to music

· Vif Dissing, artist, TR and societal perspectives

· Alessa Dominguez, Ph.D. in literature and pop music; Harold Bloom's The Anxiety of Influence

· Thomas Geuken, futurologist; TR methodology

· Jill Greenberg, photographer/artist; creative processes, visual art, and connections to other domains

· Anders Koch Hess, cand mag political science; pre-art, societal perspectives

· Mikkel Hess, drummer/composer; composition, creative processes, roles of drums, rhythm and percussion in TR

· Camilla Jalving, director of research SMK, PhD; performativity in art

· Andreas Johnsen, filmmaker, connections between film, visual art, and music

· Einar Kanding, composer, translation, and inspiration from visual art

· John King, composer; composing and interdisciplinarity

· Marilyn Mazur, drummer, percussionist, composer; roles of drums, rhythm and percussion in TR

· Laetitia Morais, video artist, PhD; interactive software and interdisciplinarity

· Rebecca Mølsted-Aatoft, cand mag political science; communication and expositionality

· Josephine Nielsen-Bergqvist, museum inspector; Danish painting in the 19th century

· Søs Gunver Ryberg, electronic composer; composing and TR

· Lena Skadegard, visual artist/designer; meanings and feeling in Sortedam and The Red Studio

· Hanne Støvring, art historian/director AFSMK; hybrid art experience spaces

· Ann Tempkin, senior curator (MoMA); Matisse's The Red Studio

· Merete Bahn Trolle, stage director; TR and interdisciplinarity

· Lucy Walker, filmmaker, TR methodology and connections to other domains

Introduction - Method - Music and media - Reflections - Context - Events - Appendices - References

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