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What is The Path of Peace? |
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The Path of Peace is a multimedia art form using the ambient piano music of Ben Dowling, and the explorations of painter and visual artist, Mark Wagner.
The character of the experience is one of quiet motion, changing aural color and - in this case - peacefulness. It demonstrates sophisticated harmony in sound and image, within a unifying context.
The Path of Peace is an early example of a historical shift in the creative arts. Digital technology has allowed artists from different traditional disciplines to experiment with alternative forms in collaboration. While there are many examples of this throughout history - for example the development of motion pictures, never before have artists from the fine and performing arts been able to collaborate on such a profound level.
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Visual Artist - Mark Wagner |
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"When I first began this project, I was in a beginner's mindset. I had no concept of what I was doing. I had never set my art to move with music.
Music exists in time, and art exists out of time. Ben's music unfolds slowly and, for a time, I had to live in that mystery. But after a while, I began to see what he was doing. I started to listen to the spaces between the notes.
And as I matched my imagery to his notes, I noticed that I began to slow down. I started to listen to it when I did other things. When I did my journaling. When the kids did homework. Ben's music started to become a part of my life with each song opening up into a field where I could imagine, create and re-connect.
I like it when something moves you so deeply, you can feel it in your bones. The idea of creating something counter-culture, counter-anxiety is also very appealing to me. To be part of the medicine. The path of peace."
- Mark Wagner - Hearts and Bones Studio
Feature Article: The Mythic Art of Mark Wagner - by Terri Windling
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"As a musician, I'm a very visual person. I think in terms of space, of color, of dimension and shape. Often I imagine myself in a theater, looking at a dark stage. What is the first thing I want to experience? What sound? How much light? What color? What is its shape?
In terms of sound, the piano has so many resonances, internal reflections, sympathetic vibrations and so on. That is why I've always loved to sit at the piano in the dark. A midnight improvisation. You can play a single note, and it grows and changes like a living thing. With this project, I finally was able to capture that suspensive quality - that magic.
Music and art to me are spiritual practices that bring the practitioner and the willing observer into a realization of their oneness with all things. I am so grateful to Mark for his willingness of experiment with such an untried idea. When the technology came about, I knew that art and music would find new expression together. I also knew there was only one artist who had the brilliance to play at the level needed to pull this one off. Thank you, brother Mark."
- Ben Dowling - www.bendowling.com
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Where This Idea Came From... |
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Describing the making of The Path of Peace - how it was conceived, what technology informed its development, how the artists worked, etc. |
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Read more...
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About the Art 
