A song, a house and a bridge.

A creative work.

Journey is a piece which I wrote in 2011, that attempts to combine past with present. It traces my family’s migration from northern Africa, through Europe, all the way to Australia, all through music. The fast paced nature of the piece with its use of additive meter takes its inspiration from the age old music of northern Africa, specifically that of Ladino music from Morocco. However, Journey does not simply imitate Ladino music, but gains further inspiration from European Art Music, specifically that of Olivier Messiaen through use of the Octatonic scale.  My families final destination of Australia is shown through the the driving cross rhythmic ostinatos, influenced by Australian composer, Peter Sculthorpes, Kakadu. In all, this piece is a reflection of hundreds of years of travel, and the influence of the music and culture of those places, making it the creative work I am most proud of. 

A great piece of architecture.

This is the Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe.

This house could not be simpler if it tried, yet to me, it could not be more beautiful or inviting. The house, built in 1950 in Illinois, is mainly made up of steel and glass. The thing I love about this house is the way in which it reflects and adapts to its changing environment so well. There are countless photographs of this house covered in snow, leaves, water and sun, with each photo capturing a different feeling to the house, yet still preserving the beautiful simplicity which it provides at the core. 

An original photograph.

This photo was taken in November 2012, as I was walking over the Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan one morning in New York. To me the photo is beautiful as it shows how some things are only seen as beautiful from far away. In the foreground there are the giant beams which make up the famous bridge, which when seem up close, out of context, lose the beauty they are known for. In the background are some of the world famous sky scrapers of New York. These buildings are seen as beautiful achievement of humankind, yet just like the bridge, when one views them from too close, they begin to lose their prestige. To me this is a successful photograph as it shows how things can be perceived so differently just depending on your distance and perspective of them.