1. Some thoughts in the audience selection process
Before I start my experiment, I will first use a few small questions to determine my audience. I hope my audience has at least one condition, that is, they are interested in art works. For example, they often go to art galleries, painting exhibitions and so on. I think at this stage, people who are interested in art may be the potential customers of my project.
Interestingly, of the eight people I found, all of them were art-related majors or regular art gallery goers. Some of them have bought gallery merchandise, but none of them have bought art paintings.
Moreover, when I asked them:’ Under what circumstances would you buy a work of art?’. They all mentioned 1) When i resonate with it 2) When I’m rich enough.
2. The results of the two questionnaires
Q1:Write down a few random words to express how you feel when you see this painting. If you don’t feel anything, you can write ‘No feeling’.
| Without sound | With sound |
| mottled | Depression, fog |
| cozy，quite | cozy |
| cloudy day, life, city, street | A woman walking along the street in France,stepping on the sycamore leaves, coughing, good weather. |
| a little healing in the gloom | No more healing, feeling a little anxious |
| a little bit blue | delighted |
| no feeling | A little more realistic, more relaxed |
| watercolor painting | street, walking, morning |
| no feeling | a man is smoking outside and throw his rubbish |
Q2: 1) Did this painting take your mind away? For example, remind you of some experience, a piece of art you’ve seen before, a movie, a melody, etc.
without sound with sound
2) If yes, what is it? could you describe it briefly?
| Without sound | With sound |
| a big teddy bear on a blue bin | covid 19 |
| a movie called Midnight in Paris | walking in the morning, only myself |
| Monet, Van Gogh | Walking on the way to school, the sound of cars and walking sound, the scene is also street scenery |
| a square in Nottingham | when I travel to the beach |
| Movies | Living in London, Fleabag |
| Music: The Carousel of Life | |
| a lawn in Nottingham | |
Q3: Please describe the degree to which you feel connected to the painting. （1 is the smallest and 5 is the largest.）
without sound with sound
3. Analysis
1）The sound can help the audience understand it better
Before I add sound to the painting, I asked the painter what he want to convey. He said he painted scenes or objects on the street that people would easily overlook. He wanted to convey the idea of slowing down and observing life.
Then I added some natural sounds, such as the sound of walking, the sound of birds, the sound of wind blowing, and the sound of passers, to assist the content transmission of the painting.
From the answer of Q2-2, I found that with the help of voice, their understanding and association are closer to the author’s original intention.
2) This painting is too complicated
This picture is composed of many small pictures, and too much content will easily cause confusion to the audience.
I think I can try an abstract or surreal painting for my next intervention, and I can add more sensory experiences.
3) Question: how can I balance the connection and the understanding? how can I acquire evidence that the audience connect with the artwork? (not by questionniare)