SYNAESTHESIA ART: INTERPRETING FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI’S AFROBEAT MUSIC AS A VISUAL COMMENTARY IN PAINTING.

Abstract

Music-centred visual art interpretation, otherwise known as synaesthesia art, remains largely a territory rarely charted. This contemporary art practice lends credence to the interface of music and visual art as forms of interpretation connecting cognitive centres, such that the sense of hearing arouses the sense of sight. In context Fela Anikulapo Kuti‘s Afrobeat music experience and interpretation, into paintings, mirrors existential issues, exploring artistic conceptual creative style and content. The paper explores cross-modal correspondences derivative of perception, connecting music and visual art referred to as synaesthesia in art. The idea of Fela’s Afrobeat music serves as a trigger for inducing conceptual creation aligns with conceptual art practice in developing an emergent creative process. A review of literature analyses antecedent music-centred explorations by Kandinsky (1866-1944), Klee (1879-1940), Albers (1888-1976), and McCracken (b-1990) among others, comparatively assessing disparate process-based styles, forms, and content. Visual art creative strategy adapts Jung‘s four-fold cognitive functions. Jung’s cognitive function is an observation process connecting archetypes of sensation, feeling, intuition, and thinking as channels for creativity.   A question contributing to objectives includes:   How would Triptych forms adaptation conceptualise Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Sorrow Tears and Blood song? What potential forms can evolve from fabric colour tesserae forms interpretation of Suffering and smiling songs? How can spiral installation string tesserae forms allegory conceptualise rhythm and movement of forms in Yellow Fever song interpretation? This Paper recommends that further contemporary art exploration of disparate forms of music genre, and adaptation of Jung’s cognitive function as a strategic process of creative unfoldment.  Development of mobile installation art forms. The study findings contribute to knowledge of novel art forms. It promotes the idea of Music and visual art connection, Triptych form and Mobile installation string tesserae. Spiral fabric tesserae forms.  Validation of Jung’s four-fold cognitive function as creative strategy.