Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Malachy Sammon 

BA [Hons] Creative Music Production

A 23 year old from Kildare who specialises in visual art, independent radio and production within the IDM and ambient genre.

How music changes our perception and experiences when viewing paintings and visual art?

This research project chose to explore the blending of two mediums. It focused on what happens to the viewer of paintings/visual art with the addition of musical stimuli.

Surveys were conducted within The National Gallery of Ireland with five participants assigned to five paintings. These surveys were conducted with and without the audio that was created and produced by the researcher in line with the paintings. Each song produced enhanced the participant's experience when viewing the paintings.



How Music Affects our Perception of Paintings

The written phase of this research focused on the surveys and responses that were conducted in The National Gallery of Ireland. Five participants were chosen & assigned a painting to share their thoughts and perceptions of with and without the addition of audio stimuli.

The text analyses past literature with a focus on the psychology and human response when these two mediums blend, with a case study exploring immersive art. The thesis then follows with the gallery research, the production of the music and the participants responses and experiences with the visual art when audio is added.