reflection. 3.8.08

The Zaireeka experiment promotes abstraction and contemplation through the art of music with its funky drum beats, choir, acoustic guitar melodies, and the occasional loud noise, for the lack of a better term. While some of The Flaming Lips’ tracks are hypnotic, others are irritating to the point that you want to turn off the stereo. The same is true with any type of art; painting, sculpting, sketching—they can all be interpreted in different ways simultaneously and yet, all are considered art. Some may enjoy a peaceful and serene oil painting that focuses on a turquoise pond with boats afloat and a sunset off in the distance. At the same time, others may prefer the abstract painting or sculpture that requires as much thought and imagination as Zaireeka to develop a central idea of the piece. Abstract artists force their audience to think outside of the box and use their eyes to develop inspiration. One painting can spark sadness in one individual and happiness in another. The fact is, art is interpreted individually and that is what makes it art. The obnoxious sounds of swarming bees may have been background noise to some, while it was loud and overbearing to me. It is all in the way you take in the music and sift through the sounds you dislike. Other tracks were completely wonderful with acoustic guitar, singing that I could understand, and piano or drums playing all together. It is by the magic of music and other arts that we discover our individuality among the other six billion people in the world and expression through the arts that we are able to choose what we like and why we dislike others. For this reason, all of us are individuals and our inspirations different from those around us. Zaireeka may have inspired some to drown out what they thought was noise and others to completely soak in the multiple sounds and appreciate them as the art of our world.