Hearing as seeing : investigating the relationship between what we see and what we hear

This paper focuses on the relationship between auditory and visual elements, exploring the way in which intentional incorporation of music influences visual artists and designers’ practice. Theatrical design programs teach students how to read a text and interpret the story told by the words on the page. The words may communicate much of the story, but by the time the production reaches the audience, many other elements join in: scenery, costumes, lighting, media, and sound. If these elements do not work together, they can create a cacophony instead of clarifying the narrative. Rather than competing with the words, visual and auditory elements should work together to tell the story cohesively. Inspired by the nebulous relationship between sight and sound, I researched historical, scientific, and artistic interpretations of this relationship. The information I gathered, presented in context with my personal reflections on the use of music as inspiration for visual design, led to the creation of a thesis in two parts: an art exhibition within a reflexive research project. The art exhibition, titled “Hearing As Seeing,” investigates the question, “What is the relationship between what we see and what we hear?” The research project employs action research by inviting the artists and designers who participated in the exhibition to investigate the question, “How might the intentional incorporation of music affect the process of creating visual art?”