Sharing Dreams/Compartiendo Sueños 2008:
Design in Music/Diseño en la Música

Mari Nakano

To design this piece, I had to feel the music first. In order to feel the music, I had to listen over and over to help myself understand what direction I wanted to pursue. In the car, over coffee, on bus rides, while staring at the ceiling, or while brushing my teeth before bed…I had to understand other people’s passion in order to find my own. Music is freedom.

Music is something that does not come from the fingertips or through the lips, but from the heart. It is a language that has no barrier, that can be understood by the masses and left open for interpretation.

For this particular piece, I decided to draw freehand. I wanted to try and play the paper like a person practicing a song. I played off of what I drew, connecting one thing to another. I decided to just use one black Sakura Pigma Micron pen and told myself there was no turning back once I put that ink down on the page. It’s like strumming a guitar. You can’t undo a sound you make. It is already heard. So, you have to improvise or adjust or modify things to flow.

Elements of nature and people are scattered throughout the piece. Though difficult to read quickly, I purposefully constructed the typography to be intertwined with the other playful elements of the piece. I want one’s eyes to wander and find things. I left the white space to calm the inked-in area.

I wanted to convey a feeling of whimsy and curiosity, but at the same time, I am hoping this piece also conveys my belief that, “Music is the language of the soul. Music is the language of solidarity.” Not only does music unveil who you are, but it is a tool that brings people together in times of celebration, in times of hardship, in times where support and solidarity are necessary to achieve healing or change. I hope people can enjoy themselves as they peruse through the elements.