Fine Art student and Arts Ambassador Annette Warner answers a few questions on her thoughts and experience with music leading up to seeing the ‘supergroup’ Rymden at Turner Sims. Take a look at her expectations and feelings in preparation.
- What kind of music do you usually listen to, live or recorded?
As an art student, I normally listen to recorded music religiously when I’m getting on with any research or practical based work in the Winchester School of Art studios. It has become so ingrained that I consider it an essential aspect of thinking creatively as it puts me in a mindset that allows me to isolate myself from the distractions of the outside world. The music I listen to varies dramatically to keep things interesting as I listen to it continuously; mainly I enjoy alternative rock and R&B but occasionally appreciate the more mellow rhythms of classical piano when concentrating on research.
2. Why have you picked this concert?
I feel that the diversity within my music preferences explains why Rymden in particular caught my eye when looking through the exciting events happening at Turner Sims. The description of the groups “new, fresh sound on a worldwide scale” combining an alternative mix of instruments and beats seems completely unique to what I normally listen to. The term ‘supergroup’ instantly caught my eye, finding musicians merging piano and jazz in a dialogue sounded incredibly contemporary. In a sense I am expecting to go on a bit of a journey through the combination of rich sounds and instruments never put together in conversation through my ears before, much like the journey we go through when hearing strangely unorthodox but enjoyable music elsewhere whether it be recorded, live, or in films.
3. What are your expectations for the event?
From seeing live concerts before, I always felt overwhelmed by the ambient atmosphere of hearing and feeling the music that echoes through the room being made at that moment in time. There is something incredibly rich about literally seeing live music through visually grasping the instruments and skill required, the passion involved and the shared joy of music. Something that you cannot comprehend when listening to recorded sounds is the buzz of ‘hearing in the moment’, and Rymden’s contemporary experimentation with sound will emphasise the forward-thinking times in which we hear this music.
4. Do you do anything creative yourself, for example as a hobby or as part of your studies/work?
Both as an artist and avid listener of music, I am excited to change my way of creative thinking from the visual to the auditory for this evening and am eager about applying other senses to the idea of art. In my art practice where I primarily use installation and photography, I have a large focus on how our senses affect and create the world we understand around us. Through my own work I have discovered the impact that everyday listening and sound has that is underappreciated in its importance, yet music can so beautifully pull on our emotions. Rymden seems to push this further still, and I am excited about the new and eye-opening experience.
Arts Ambassadors is a paid opportunity, supported by the Careers and Employability Service’s Excel Southampton Internship programme, University of Southampton
