P I X E L S

About

 

This work is inspired by emotions I felt during the pandemic-nostalgia, melancholy, and a sadness I could not explain.

 

It is difficult to put these feelings into words, one of the most appropriate might be the Welsh expression hiraeth - an unexplainable longing for someone or something, without knowing exactly who or what you miss.

 

It’s the kind of feeling you get when staring at the stars at night, or out at a boundless ocean, wondering what lies beyond.

 

This concept came to me while listening to classical piano compositions that had been re-recorded as 8-bit tracks. This inspired me to bring together two distinct, yet oddly connected, passions of mine: French impressionism and retro video games.

 

While the two media could not seem more different, I feel they have similar themes: the ability to capture movement, light and moments in time; the human perception and experience; and the impressions they create.

 

They both give me a feeling of hiraeth: longing for a time or place to which I cannot return, or perhaps have never seen.

 

Why Pixel?

 

To me, music is not just an aural experience, it is also visually stimulating. Every note is a component of a whole, creating a picture in the mind. Like a pixel or a brush stroke, each note carries little meaning in isolation, but without it, the picture is incomplete.

 

I translated my compositions into imagery for this project. These visuals are based on the emotions I felt during a challenging period of my life.

 

Edited by Daniel Mendelssohn