Love Is Within
For this project with the band Ananya Y Los Cosmopolitas and Zuyd, I designed and programmed generative visuals for their live performance. The main focus was to capture the band’s identity and to transform the feeling of their song 'Love Is Within' into a visual experience.
About the project
When I received this assignment, it was important for me to capture the values and background of the band. I started by talking to them about where they come from, what matters to them in their music, and what message they want to portray to their audience. From there, I researched Latin American art, culture and the theme of their song: self-love. This research helped me create sketches and develop a fitting colour palette. I eventually created abstract flowers and hearts inspired by Latin American murals, symbolising personal growth and self-love.
Creating the visuals
I experimented with different color combinations to create a tropical palette that balances cooler tones representing sadness with warmer colors reflecting self-love and positivity. After establishing the visual style, I programmed generative visuals in Java Processing that react to the music, while building a custom Arduino-based control box to adjust colors and variables live during the performance.
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges was finding a balance between my own visual style and the style of the band. I am drawn to clean, often minimalist visuals, while much of Latin American art is more detailed, painted, and colourful. Through discussions with my mentor and fellow students, I explored different directions and eventually found the right balance in the style of abstract Latin American street art.
