When I first came across this image on Flickr titled “Sculpture, under water, Copenhagen” by phototouring, I thought about a past history, a culture that seemingly vanished under unforeseen circumstances. The statues reaching towards the surface in a manner that exudes a state of panic and longing for escape. Its almost as if they were actual people frozen in stone, by a cataclysmic event. It turns out this is a modern bronze sculpture titled “Agnete and the Merman”, by Danish Artist Suste Bonnén from the year 1992. Given that the piece is based on a Danish folk tale about abandonment, my original interpretation wasn’t too far off.
The audio I chose, “Stormchaser Duet” by Martijn de Boer (NiGiD), features a guitar and bass duet that play off each other, alternating between rhythms and tempos. The bass is deep and heavy evoking memories of muffled underwater sounds harnessed by a light airy reverberating guitar that floats on the senses. I paired the audio with the photo because its ethereal sound evokes mystery and a subtle, haunting nostalgia without being overly direct. During the editing process, I chose to use only the final minute and a half of the seven-minute track, focusing on its emotional progression and climactic build while staying true to my original vision.
I found it easier to start from an image and find the sound that matched rather than vice versa. My overall goal was to find a sound that closely matched my original emotional response to the image. I believe the pairing enhances both elements, as together they evoke a sense of mystery and a forgotten tale. During this exercise, I also thought about how a soundtrack is created and how that can truly elevate or diminish a scene.
Terms of Use: “Beneath the Surface” by Kenneth Jones is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
