Project in which the composer FRANK STAGNITTA and the painter ROY AMISS explore the possibility of a joint performance of their corresponding works.

In '91, the musical c o m p o s e r Stagnitta saw some of the paintings of Amiss at the 'TIMES' International Group Exhibition of 16 artists, initiated by the 'Via In Artis' (now: 'Schröder') Art-Foundation, at the KUNSTPASSAGE in The Hague.

The composer had used paintings before as a source for inspiration. He likes to work programmatically on themes as did Wagner and others. He has also composed from literary sources such as Dante's Inferno and the poems of Sylvia Plath.

But what the composer had not done was actually compose in the artists studio whilst the work was in progress. This he had wanted to do for years, and this rare opportunity presented itself.

What interested the p a i n t e r in this collaboration, is its ambition in reconciling a time-based media with paintings, and the possibility that the music and painting can complement one another, to create a more reflective and expressive experience. The relation between these two media is not arbitrary, for the composer is seeking to find the musical equivalents for the paintings. The aim of this experiment is to 'hear' what the paintings sound like' and to see what kind of response this combination elicits.

Much multi-media installation art today, fragments attention and becomes meaningless. Through the 'Synaesthesis' project, it is hoped that it will provide a focus for individuals to contemplate, reflect and introspect, and on a wider level, it constitues a continuation of the traditions of Romanticism, Symbolism, and Surrealism.

Roy Amiss, 1991