A World Within a Phrase III - Results
A World Within a Phrase III - Results
Submissions for this month's art and music challenge.
The results are inš
Each submission is highly original and absolutely stunning. Not only are they stunning visually and aurally, but they all took a very unique and thoughtful approach to the prompt quote/scene.
In this monthās prompt, artists were given the task to use the quote, āI'm somebody now, Harry. Everybody likes me. Soon, millions of people will see me and they'll all like me.ā from the film Requiem for a Dream, as well as the actual scene footage from the film as prompts for an original abstract artwork and/or music piece.
See the challenge post here:
Iām incredibly happy with how this monthās pieces turned out and I feel super lucky to be working alongside my favorite artists on a common theme.
As in the previous challenges, take notice of the commonalities among all or most of the pieces as well as their unique approaches.
If youāre able and willing, please support these artists by collecting your favorite ones. The links are provided below each piece.
Letās dive inš¤
Rangga Purnama Aji
āSublime Baitā
I donāt know how many times Iāve listened to this, but itās a lot. Ranggaās interpretation of the prompt is very thoughtful and hits on the feel of the scene perfectly.
We get an unstable droning throughout the work that beautifully touches on the sense of inner tension from the scene. The glitchy, complex rhythms in the foreground add to the tension, signifying (to me) the messiness of a purposeless mind. In the second half, thereās a buildup of these glitchy sounds and distortion for a climax.
The up-close face in the art is a nice play on the closeness of the cameras to the charactersā faces in the scene.
Overall, I appreciate the abstract interpretation. The piece was directly influenced by the prompt/scene without directly addressing it. Rangga nailed the objective.
Ranggaās description:
"A sublime inner turmoil that uncontrollably leaked as an impulsive expression behaving like a torment for the self and others triggered by unexpected situations."
Listen to the full piece here:
āAgitated Tensionā
This is another great abstract from a long-form generative algorithm that seems to keep evolving as he releases single iterations. I think the general play on tension through glitchy/chopped textures is appropriate as a response to the prompt.
Collect āAgitated Tensionā
Silvia Anan
āBoxed INā
Silviaās submissions for these challenges have each been highly considerate of the prompt materials, brilliantly integrating them with a signature language that is all her own.
The art itself very much captures the dual nature of the quote and scene. Hope, light, purpose, pain, darkness, loneliness.
Silviaās description:
"Boxed In" gives a meaning to the quote above from the character Sara Goldfarb from the film Requiem for a Dream- from my perspective - expressing a hidden psychosis with an apparent delusion that's leading her to a tragic end at the bottom after a painful emotional, mental and physical decline.
After chatting with Silvia, she kindly shared this insightful breakdown of the piece (below). Many argue that abstract art doesnāt need to be explained, and I agree that it doesnāt. This piece stands alone as a cohesive work whether you know what itās about or not. That being said, it would not have resulted in this form had it not been for the inspiration behind it and Iām a huge fan of getting inside the mind of the artist.
Anuomii
āThe Silent Scream for Lonelinessā
Anuomiiās piece approaches the prompt in several dimensions. First, an abstraction of a face that, in conjunction with the title, I canāt help but see a nod to Munchās āThe Screamā. This can be seen as a play on Saraās close-up face in the scene. Red for the red dress comment as well as signifying stress/tension. White to contrast with the dark as a play on light and hope. Another original and signature take on the prompt.
Anuomiiās description:
āFirst i wanted to create two faces, one screaming to the other one, but at the end this abstract shadow face came out; I wanted also some kind of contrast with the shadow and red using a white snow colour that reflects cocaine, but also light and opportunities we all have in life that addiction can't see.ā
Ryan Staley
ācrescendoā
The quality and variety of texture and color in this work has me constantly returning. It feels real and tactile, yet digital at the same time.
Ryanās approach to the prompt was zoomed out to the imagery of the close-up eye that appears multiple times in the film as well as on the cover. I appreciate the original drawing of the eye, which is different enough from the one referenced that you might not realize this was a reference at all. The multiple versions and sizes of the eyes may also represent the part of the quote where Sara says, āSoon, millions of people will see me and they'll all like me.ā
The title ācrescendoā is perfectly appropriate to the form of the scene and the film overall. The general increase in the sizing of the eyes can also be seen as representing this effect.
Lin Xir Wengi
āTwo Statesā
Lin made this piece fully by hand. Iām incredibly impressed by the creativity used here for this challenge. Her approach takes the angle of the charactersā opposing desires wrapped around each other as if in a closed bubble, pushing and pulling until it pops.
The use of contrasting colors help to emphasize the concept and make for a bold, attention-grabbing piece.
I would love to see more work in this medium from the artist.
Linās description:
āāI'm somebody now, Harry. Everybody likes me. Soon, millions of people will see me and they'll all like me.ā
Quote from the character Sara Goldfarb in The Red Dress scene from the film 'Requiem for a Dream' (2000). I created this piece motivated by a challenge shared by LoneWick in 'A World Within a Phrase III' #LWArtChallenge, and with the work I produced for that challenge, I am also contributing it to the #redcollage event, a collaborative event for collage artists from all around the world.
Sara Goldfarb and Hary are representatives of desire, united but existing in two different states. Sara desires to be seen as a whole and liked by everyone, she longs for the red dress that fits her perfectly. All of Sara's desires are a match for her, bubbling sharply to the surface after being deeply suppressed.
Hary's desire is clearly expressed and triggers an outburst from Sara, who is skeptical of Sara's desires but is struck by what she has provoked. Hary's silence following Sara's explosion is internal, swirling like a spiral wrapped in Sara's desire.
Two elements, explosion, and silence, aware of each otherātwo forces in an irresistible action-reaction, waiting for the explosion to find a new owner.ā
Lin shared some progress pictures on Warpcast. I always love some behind-the-scenes footage.
drain
āWinnerā
These two works by drain are visually stunning and highly original. He took an abstract impressionist play on two themes involving the main character, as well as a visual aspect from the scene.
āWinningā depicts a figure in the limelight. The white on the body and angles of the shapes around it make this feel quite literal while remaining mostly abstract.
āClosedā
āClosedā plays on the close-up view of Saraās face and a sense of isolation. The use of red hints at the red dress comment. The opposing colors can be seen as a play on the dual nature of her feelings in the scene.
drainās comments:
āWinning is a pretty literal translation of her desire to be in stage. Closed does come from her isolation from reality as well as a small play on words for "close up". Delusional head shots of our Winner.ā
DBB
ārequiemā
DBB made two very different pieces that both involve sound and each capture the essence of the prompt in a unique way.
ārequiemā brilliantly and abstractly captures the feel of the scene in a matter of seconds using imagery, sound, and structure that all say nothing directly about the scene while expressing everything that the scene expresses.
From the artist:
āI tried to tell the story with the sound, so that if you couldnāt see it, you still could understand for the most part.ā
āflea circusā
DBB is incredibly skilled at rapping and has posted many of these raw recordings on his timeline. I highly recommend digging for them as they are all very clever. It was such a pleasant surprise to hear one of these created for the challenge.
As per his highly unique take on any subject, this takes influence from a totally unrelated film while tying in the concepts in an abstracted, metaphorical way. Fantastic work.
From the artist:
āWhen you first posted that scene, my immediate thought was the power of illusion and it made me think of the scene in Jurassic park when heās discussing the parks failures, he talks about a flea circus and how he wanted to make something realā¦ I associated the concept dress with the flea circus.ā
Santiago
āI'm somebody now Harryā
It is an honor to see a piece from the great Santiago for this challenge. And of course, a fresh and unexpected perspective on the prompt.
In the description of the piece he says, 'what is it to be anyone?', then plays with an abstraction and removal of faces. As in the other works, we get the red as a nod to the red dress.
The piece appears to be a collage made from some of his other artworks, some fully abstract and some with faces. It is then edited to explore the concept of what it means to be a person, symbolized by the presence of a face. The commentary is beautifully appropriate in highlighting the existential nature of the prompt quote.
Collect āI'm somebody now Harryā
LoneWick
āIām Somebody Nowā¦ā
My composition takes initial influence from the rhythm and sentiment of the quote/scene.
In the quote/scene, Sara expresses a sense of purpose and hope while simultaneously conveying the pain of loneliness and purposelessness. In the music, these feelings are achieved by an overall major tonality (known for its āhappyā sound) mixed with dissonances and hesitation in the rhythm. You'll notice there is no confident sense of rhythm.
The first 2/3rds of the piece give a slight euphoric feeling as if floating in a dream but with the undulating pain of reality close by. As the rhythm changes to a steady pace in the end there's a sense that reality is closely approaching. In the middle, there is a musical quote from the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack. If youāre familiar with the film, Iām sure youāll pick it out.
I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you
I want to thank you for taking the time to experience the wide range of art created for this challenge. It proved to be a lot of fun for the artists, as well as for myself.
If you are able, please consider supporting these artists by collecting their work and sharing them. They spend a lot of time and effort to make beautiful and provocative pieces for us to enjoy, to help us see things in a new light, to find a sense of connection, and at the very least, provide an escape from daily life.
If you enjoyed this and would like to see more art and music stuff, subscribe for free.
-LWā¤ļøāš„