A RECENT EXHIBIT by 24 College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) Advertising seniors recently deplored the endangered art of musical lyric-writing.
MuSick (which stands for “sickness in music”) ran November 9 to 29 at the Fashion Art Gallery in Quezon City. It consisted of paintings, installations and photographs evoking the power of traditional music lyrics.
“We want to campaign for the revival of the lost beauty of most songs today,” Jorelli Griffin San Juan said.
Conrad Lachica’s painting, “Inharmonious Tune,” depicts an antique radio playing a song that irks listeners. Lachica’s work is critical of the cacophony of contemporary music.
Idiotic TV on Music Box, also by Lachica’s, shows people becoming dim-witted while listening to senseless lyrics.
A work by Danilo Fajardo, “Vier Monxviushlavxyrtulgax Iel,” is a critique of the blurry lyrics in most songs today. The work is in mixed media and oil on wood, with the inscriptions of “blah, blah, blah,” emphasizing the discordance among emotions, music, and lyrics.
“My artwork was inspired by the difficulty of interpreting a song when you hardly hear its lyrics,” Fajardo said.
Mickey Hernandez’s photograph, “Beseeching,” shows a naked guitarist.
Hernandez said his photo advocates country music.
“Many people ignore country music because it is localized, primitive, and cheap music, but little do they know that it is more expressive, meaningful and educational,” Hernandez said. “My photograph aims to make people realized this wrong kind of thinking.”
Karel Sevilla’s photograph, “An Hour Pt. 2,” shows how otherwise good songs remain unappreciated because they don’t get radio play and mainstream reception.
MuSick organizers said it’s not all about popularity.
“We still believe that good songs start with meaningful stories,” said San Juan. “This story should be something that the composer, the singer, and the listener can commune with.” Rieze Rose T. Calbay
