This thesis outlines the development of the compositional method and central artistic principles that informed the portfolio of compositions, collectively titled mātr. The works that comprise this collection were created within a period of artistic research from 2018 to 2024, during which I was seeking a new understanding of the methods that underpinned my practice, and the means to re-define these towards a new compositional system. The basis for this system is my interpretation of the nature of time and silence in the audiovisual medium, and the potential for it to create encounters with the atemporal and the inaudible. The artistic project discussed in this thesis is a response to the question of how a new understanding of the nature of time can inform my compositional practice. Part One of this commentary examines artistic and theoretical perspectives on time and silence to develop principles and compositional tools for creating a portfolio of audiovisual works. These concepts frame the discussion of practices that shaped my compositional thinking, forming threads between music and visual art that coalesce as audiovisual methods. The scientific and poetic writings of Carlo Rovelli and Jorie Graham provide the foundations for rethinking time and silence as artistic principles to discuss the musical language of Arvo Pärt, which has been fundamental in shaping my own methodological thinking. The work of Anselm Kiefer and Andrei Tarkovsky, both visual artists with distinct approaches to time, forms the basis for outlining the central audiovisual methods explored in the portfolio. Part two discusses the practical exploration of the artistic principles defined in part one of this commentary. The technical methods and materials developed in search of a compositional system are documented and evaluated to provide a narrative account of how these concepts informed the portfolio, culminating in the audiovisual piece cycλomorphia.
| Date of Award | 6 Aug 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Monty Adkins (Main Supervisor) |
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