A mixture of music and film, the annual Sound Unseen Festival creates an experience with no clear distinction between the ending of one medium and the beginning of another. Looking at it from the perspective of someone who would attend the festival, that experience can be simultaneously overwhelming and galvanizing. It was from this vantage point that I began my creative exploration for creating the festival signature visual.
This was my second year working on the Sound Unseen Festival and I wanted to create something that conceptually became part of the ongoing visual language. As the only film festival in the Twin Cities that focuses on music (and musicians), it is really quite unique. The event creates an intersection where film and music can have a dialogue about their commonalities to push the mediums further. This annual event becomes fertile ground for artists and musicians to become galvanized—to bring that energy back into their own work.
I was influenced by some of the common themes that ran through the films. Themes such as: inspiration, ambition, uncertainty, and passion. These all triggered an idea that led me back to characters from ancient Greek Mythology: the Muses. It seemed relevant to create a symbol that portrays the experience of the festival and have it become a reoccurring figure that translates the inspirational conversation of that particular year’s gathering. In essence, the festival itself becomes a new Muse each year.
