Hey. I’m a musician named Phil, involved in FAR-West. Okay, here we go: on the left end of the chart above, you can see a symbol representing musician John Roy Zat‘s song I Got A Devil In Me. In 2015, I handed out John’s song, plus 22 other songs, which I call “seed songs,” to a bunch of visual artists, craftspeople and artisans. (The songs were all by musicians associated with FAR-West and the artists were whomever I could find–amateur, professional, children, adults.) I said to the artists “Can you create a new work of art (or a craft or whatever) inspired by this song I’ve given you?”
I got back a delightful array of artwork and crafts and stuff, including food. I then took those pieces and handed them out to more FAR-West musicians, saying “Can you create a new song inspired by this piece of art I’ve given you?”
As you’ve guessed by now, I got a bunch of songs in response. Since then, I’ve kept each thread (from each seed song) going: every new song (or story, in some cases) gets assigned to an artist, and every new work of art (or bar of soap or cookie) gets assigned to a musician or storyteller. So far, as the above chart tells us, John’s song I Got A Devil In Me has been responsible for the creation of seven more songs, one story, two paintings, a drawing, a mobile and a tray of brownies. (Update, Spring 2024: add two more songs, a story, two paintings, a digital artwork and a collage.)
As this site progresses, you’ll be able to see all the arts and crafts and hear all the songs and stories that have been created for the project. We always need new artists/artisans/makers of things; all ages and all levels of experience are welcome. To get involved or ask questions, click the Contact Now See Hear link above.
Music. Art. Repeat.