Available Formats:
Digital Stream
Description
My relationship to the visual arts has always been deeply intertwined with my work as a composer and improviser. From early on, I found myself drawn not only to the sounds around me but also to the textures, colors, and structures of visual art. The creative processes I witnessed in painting, collage, and sculpture felt remarkably similar to the way I approached music: layering, juxtaposing, and transforming elements to create something new.
A pivotal moment came when I was introduced to the work of Christian Marclay, whose explorations in both sound and visual media-especially his use of collage-opened my eyes to the possibilities of treating sound as a material, much like paint or found objects. This discovery led me to explore the works of artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Kurt Schwitters, whose collage techniques inspired me to think about improvisation and composition as a kind of sonic collage, where disparate elements are brought together to form a cohesive whole.
My solo percussion pieces, for example, are often inspired by visual art-not just in their structure, but in their intent to balance spontaneity with form. I see each performance as an opportunity to “paint” with sound, drawing upon the same sense of immediacy and risk that I admire in visual artists. The influence goes both ways: just as I borrow ideas from visual art, I have also composed music for modern dance and sound installations, where the boundaries between auditory and visual experience blur.
Ultimately, the visual arts have taught me to value process as much as product, to embrace ambiguity, and to find beauty in unexpected combinations. Whether I’m behind a drum set, curating a performance series, or running my label, I carry with me the lessons learned from painters, sculptors, and collage artists-always searching for new ways to connect what we see with what we hear.
Tim Daisy, Evanston, IL May 2025
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“Eight for the Painters” is a new selection of composed and improvised pieces for percussion. Dedicated to some of my favorite visual artists, many of whom are still active today, creating new ideas, as we speak. All of them have inspired me to continue my explorations in organized sound making. My heartfelt thanks to everyone of them!
Label: Relay Recordings
Released in:
2025
