Jamie xx Composed A New Piece For The National Gallery
“Ultramarine” is inspired by Théo van Rysselberghe’s painting “Coastal Scene.”
Update, 7/21/15 6:45PM: The video has since been set to private.
The National Gallery commissioned a number of musicians to write new pieces in response to a single work of art in the museum’s extensive collection. This group of creatives includes Nico Muhly, Susan Philipsz, Gabriel Yared, Chris Watson, Janet Cardiff, George Bures Miller, and Jamie xx. Today the Gallery released a video about Jamie's composition, which draws inspiration from Théo van Rysselberghe’s painting "Coastal Scene."
According to the clip, van Rysselberghe put together "Coastal Scene" after "a journey through France where he became very affected by the Pointillist painting technique." Jamie constructed a piece, "Ultramarine," that attempts sonic Pointillism: initially when a visitor enters the room, he or she will see the painting from the distance and hear Jamie’s music as a complete composition. But as the visitor approaches the painting and the dots begin to emerge, "the music will begin to break up, it will become fragmentary."
Read Jamie on the importance of dance music.
