“I was curious to hear what melody the birds were creating,” said Jarbas Agnelli. Is that not what art is—all things curious?
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Here’s the story of this video in Jarbas Agnelli’s own words:
“Reading the newspaper one morning, I saw this picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.
This work was made over the original photo, un-retouched, published in one of the biggest Brazilian newspapers, “O Estado de São Paulo” on 27/aug/2009, and shot by Paulo Pinto (note: I just erased the birds for effect at the end, but didn’t change their positions at all. What would be the point?). This short video demonstrates my interpretation of the birds as notes.”
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We are reminded of a quote by Henry David Thoreau “It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.”
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Is that not what art is? And in the 21st century, a time of great change and turmoil, can we not just take what we see, and use it to connect with all of humankind?
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Music made with Logic. Video made with After Effects.
Jarbas Agnelli
And here is a live rendition of it being performed at the Awards Ceremony for the Top 25 YouTube Play Videos at the Guggenheim Museum.
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Wonderful! Reminds me of the CD cover for Aerial by Kate Bush and how she incorporated birds sounds in many of the tracks. I tried a humble attempt with “31 Kisses” thanks to free bird sounds from Cornell.
This was really cool. I expected the arrangement to be a terrible cacophony of sound, but it turned out beautifully. It just goes to show what can be accomplished when you dare to see the world differently and have the courage to show others the neat thing you’ve found. I will never look quite the same way again at birds on a wire.
Cool!