On February 7, artist Alix Le Juge and pianist Kenneth Babajie invited the public to enjoy a synesthetic experience in the Salon de l’Étoile, in the middle of the Eureka gardens. Projected onto the walls of the pavilion, abstract or figurative images in constant flux accompanied and visually interpreted the unfolding of pieces by Cage, Messiaen, Ligeti and others. Dominique Bellier
Twelve years ago, Kenneth Babajie came up with the idea of combining painting and music to facilitate the discovery of contemporary composers such as Olivier Messiaen, John Cage and Philip Glass, who were little-known in Maurice. Projected onto the room’s walls, painting in action adds a new sensory perception channel to the listening experience, bringing the imagination to life and multiplying the possibilities of access to music tenfold. In principle, synesthesia is an involuntary neurological disposition in which one sensory perception automatically activates another: a melody triggers bodily movements or the appearance of conscious images in the music lover.. .
For the artist, this phenomenon becomes a deliberate creative process… At sunset, large horizontal traces cover the paper in yellow and red, on Dream de Cage. The movement of the brush is supple and serene, the orange shines on the blue, then the image takes on depth in the second movement. The painting adds to the magic of this music composed for Merce Cunningham. On “Île de feu I”, one of Messiaen’s rhythmic studies, human silhouettes with lively gestures illustrate this modal music dedicated to Papua New Guinea, while for Ligeti’s “Arc-en-ciel “, the play of light mirrors the sounds on palm trees in the wind and canopies filtering the sun’s rays. The movements of the pieces, their themes, rhythms and, of course, melodies evoke emotions that guide Alix’ s hand, the liveliness of her brush and the choice of colors and motifs. The aim is to dialogue with the music: images are made and unmade from moment to moment…
