Global Melody Project

global melody project the power of music, the art of listening

Cover: Darnel London 29 July 2016 1/125sec at f 2.0 ISO 250 35mm Summilux M

To listen; Headphones on, volume up and point your smart phone camera at the QR Codes. Enjoy!

the idea, the project Global Melody is a social art project I began in 2016. The idea was sparked when I saw a group of pedestrians, all wearing headphones, waiting for traffic lights to change.

Watching them, I wondered, ‘what are they all listening to at this moment?’

Keen to develop my concept further, I began to interview and photograph people wearing headphones and I continue to do this wherever I go. People share their stories, tell me what they’re listening to and give me their details so I can send them a copy of the photo I’ve taken and keep them up-to-date as to how the project is going.

The outcome of my interaction is a portrait accompanied by an audio snippet of what the person was listening to when I took the photo. The result has been an amazing journey, which continues today. All the photographs taken are arbitrary: people I happen to meet on my travels.

As a photographer it’s also imperative that every photo I take reflects my encounter in a portrait that perfectly encapsulates those few minutes in time. Global Melody Project combines photographic portraits together with specific audio tracks. When these two elements are combined the results, put simply, are amazing. The viewer is involved on a level much greater than experienced when simply viewing the image without audio - it immerses the viewer in a moment in time. It is that moment that underpins the joy and charm that makes Global Melody Project unlike any other.

people listening ...

An exciting and unique aspect of the Global Melody Project is the effect on the viewer when they discover what the people in the portrait are actually listening to: in over 90% of cases it’s completely unexpected.

Once they hear the audio track, be it music, spoken word or a podcast, the viewer makes an association with the image that forges a greater connection with the person shown.

“There’s something about music, it really does just tap straight into very primitive circuits in the brain and so evokes a very primal response – in other words, it’s a deeply emotional thing, listening to music, takes you back to a time and a place, but it also takes you out of yourself.”

Louis Theroux

Lucas London 10 August 2016 1/2000sec at f 1.4 ISO 250 35mm Summilux M

global participation The whole concept behind the Global Melody Project is to increase viewers’ awareness, tolerance and appreciation of others. The knowledge of the person and the chosen audio encourages that engagement and also challenges familiar perceptions.

The Global Melody Project aims to motivate and develop audience participation. People, from across the globe, will be encouraged to submit their own visuals and soundtracks, and systematically build a database of shared experiences.

In addition to social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram we are developing a comprehensive website to facilitate a high level of public involvement.

Jara London 31 July 2017 1/4000sec at f 4.0 ISO 320 35mm Summilux M

the exhibition It is my intention to also have an interactive Global Melody Project exhibition in a suitable gallery. The show would feature up to 30 portraits depending on the venue.

To ensure that the exhibition has the desired impact, I am collaborating with Locatify, an Icelandic software company that specialises in location technology such as Ultra Wide Beacons (UWB) and the production of dedicated apps.

As patrons, wearing headphones and using a dedicated app, move through the exhibition and closer to a particular image they’ll pick up snippets of what the person in the photo was listening to when the picture was taken. These individual tracks will create a “wave” of sound and musical discovery which, defines the Global Melody Project.

Artist’s impression of the proposed interactive exhibition

major sponsors

realising the potential Global Melody Project has immense growth potential in both physical and digital spaces. A street poster campaign will be initially launched in Melbourne in November 2018, this will consist of 10 x huge posters each 1000 x 1400mm these posters will feature up to sixty portraits and sixty audio tracks all easily accessible via QR codes, These posters will all be situated around city train and tram stations targeting commuters wearing headphones. They will be able to simply tap on a QR code with their smart phones and hear the audio relating to that image.

The initial campaign will be carefully monitored to gauge the public response.

Right Proposed GMP street poster campaign.

the power of music, the art of listening Global Melody Project’s appeal is wide ranging, universal and reaffirms our humankind desire to know and understand more. Time and time again we’ve witnessed the immediate and lasting reaction people have had when they view (and hear) the portraits of people and what others are listening to.

Music crosses nationalities, lifestyles and just about any other prejudices people may have. Once a person hears what another is listening to, it opens a unique and very personal connect to that portrait.

A website has been developed to assist in maximising a social media presence and will eventually form the basis for further research and collaboration, including a variety of publication options.

Global Melody Project encapsulates the power of music and the art of listening.

the artist Michael Agzarian created the Global Melody Project. He is the founding owner of Advision, an award winning creative design studio started in 1982. His experience and knowledge feeds into his ability to create work that is both striking and compelling. Besides his work with Advision, Michael has been involved in a wide range of more personal creative projects. These include the infamous political protest art of the Malcolm Turnbull “Fizza” posters, the Tony Abbott “Hopeless” posters and more recently, the Peter Dutton posters.

He is also the co-creator of the GOFish magazine project: born in 2008, GOFish is an independent creative arts magazine published in Australia.

Michael is an incurably curious human being, accomplished in design and creativity, and fascinated by the human experience. He is an active, accomplished photographer and designer. Michael’s passion and experience drives the Global Melody Project.

Artist impression of Michael Agzarian standing next to one of his GMP posters.

Visit Michael’s folio and media page, point your smart phone camera at the QR Code.

the power of music, the art of listening Michael Agzarian • michael@advision.com.au • +61 418 692 121 • www.globalmelodyproject.com Global Melody Project © 2016