SERJ TANKIAN's 'Disarming Time' Art Exhibit: Video Footage From Opening Night

December 9, 2013

Project Gallery has welcomed multifaceted musician, artist, poet and activist Serj Tankian in the premiere of his debut interactive art exhibit, "Disarming Time". A uniquely audible and visual experience, "Disarming Time" features a collection of Tankian's 22 original art pieces: paintings, mixed media and sculptural works paired with a track of music composed specifically for each visual work. Via a set of headphones accompanied by his newly created iOS/Android application "Eye For Sound" (powered by VStory),smartphones are able to scan and recognize art and immediately cue the associated audio track and other content. Of the project which began in early 2013, Tankian says, "The urge came to me in the discovery that music has become so temporal and devalued in the world today, so I wanted to create an exclusive experience…something unique for someone to hold so they become the only person to experience this. I'm aiming to have people SEE the music and HEAR the art. Using a modern app, we're able to take Kandinsky's 'Synesthesia' to a whole new level."

Video footage from the exhibit's opening night can be seen below.

Serj Tankian was on born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon and is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, painter and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist and occasional live rhythm guitarist of the metal band SYSTEM OF A DOWN. During his musical career, Tankian has released five albums with SYSTEM OF A DOWN, one with Arto Tunçboyacıyan ("Serart"),as well as four solo albums: "Elect The Dead", "Imperfect Harmonies", "Harakiri" and "Orca", his first real classical symphony. A live orchestral version of "Elect The Dead" incorporating the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra named "Elect The Dead Symphony" was released in 2009. He's also released two books of poetry, "Cool Gardens" and "Glaring Through Oblivion". In 2002, Tankian and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE/AUDIOSLAVE guitarist Tom Morello co-founded a non-profit organization, Axis Of Justice. Tankian also founded the record label Serjical Strike Records and in 2011 he was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal for his contributions to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of music.

The application "Eye For Sound" was born from the desire to create a unique and immersive musical experience that reconnects the value of tangible products to music. It provides a fusion of art and music easily accessed through a smartphone or tablet making each experience personal and unique to each user. By exploring the simultaneous connection between art and music via optical recognition, each user experiences a one of a kind stimulation of the senses. "Eye For Sound" was created with broad intention and aims to become a platform for other artists to utilize.

Beautifully designed, Project Gallery is a cultural destination located in the center of Hollywood, California.

Find more on System of a down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).