Follow The Beat Of The Drum

A Short Video Combining Generative Music With Theatrical Visuals

Crackling fireworks pulsate in time with the beat of ferocious drumming. The images and sounds swell to a crescendo, eventually transforming from sharp percussive sparks to something more liquid and smooth…this is Anton Grabovskiy’s Drum Show.

Born and raised in Irkutsk, a relatively large city in Siberia, some 70 kilometers from Lake Baikal, Anton graduated from the University of Art in 2011. During this time he specialised in monumental-decorative painting. However, the small Siberian was not lucrative for his greatest ambitions. “My dream is to work in the film industry,” he tells us. “This industry does not exist in my city, so next month I’m moving to Moscow with my wife.”

The untitled short film that we feature here can be seen as a chunk of potential, exposing Anton’s desires to enter into film proper. It also demonstrates his ability to effectively combine images and sound and adapt to changing melodies and demands of the music. Implemented by Digital Lab, Anton works with them here as a freelancer.

We caught up with him to find out more:

The Plus: Please tell us a little bit how you got started with this project.
Anton Grabovskiy: I always liked computer graphics, so after graduation I began studying Houdini.

TP: What’s your view on the connection between music and visual art?
AG: I really like interactive and generative art. It seems to me that these are one of the most interesting and relevant tools for the modern artist. Our world is changing rapidly and computer technologies have become an integral part of our life. This must be reflected in art. Light-musical installation is just one of many options. It seems to me a particularly interesting synthesis of theatre and computer graphics. I have also seen excellent examples of the compound of choreography and projection mapping.

TP: Smoke, water and fire make up some of the elements in your video. How and why did you choose them?
AG: The main theme of this composition is of the four elements of nature: Air, fire, water and earth. They are presented in this order in the video and the smoke makes the transition from fire to water. The screen is divided equally into 5 vertical pillars, with each section representative of one drum.