Have You Ever Wanted to Frame Your Music on the Wall?
How Graphic scores reinvent how we read music scores, transforming music into tangible art.
By Philip Wong
The Engine Room, an international sound art competition, is returning this year after a two year hiatus. Morley College London has hosted this competition since 2015 and helped platform emerging sound artists. This year’s competition welcomes the entry of an art form, graphic scores.
In the music world, where notes and staves usually dictate the sounds we hear, graphic scores offer a window into an entirely different realm – one where creativity and interpretation thrive. These unique musical notations replace traditional scores' regimented lines and dots with abstract images, shapes, and symbols, inviting performers to explore music outside conventional confinements.
Graphic scores emerged from the avant-garde movements in music in the mid-20th century. Composers like John Cage, with his experimental “Water Music”, and Cornelius Cardew, through works such as “Octet ’61”, revolutionised the way music could be notated. By using visual elements to express ideas that could not be captured through conventional means, they embraced the freedom of abstraction, allowing performers to interact with music on a deeply personal level. The result was a revolutionary way of thinking about music as a visual and auditory art form.
These scores span a wide range of styles, from intricate and detailed visual designs to minimalist sketches. Each represents musical ideas that performers interpret in their own way, making every rendition unique. Much like visiting an art gallery, performers become both the viewers and the creators, deciding how to bring the visual elements to life as sound. While some scores provide brief guidance akin to the descriptive placards found next to the artwork, no two performances of a graphic score are ever truly the same.
The submitted work for the competition will be exhibited alongside the announcement of the winners, visit Morley Gallery from 28 April to 16 May 2025 to see an incredible display of sound art including graphic scores.
