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Why do we listen to sad music?
Our obsession with sad music and art has existed since the beginning of time, from Greek tragedies to Blues music hazy lounges to apathetic teenagers listening to Morrissey in their bedrooms.
It is in a human being's nature to avoid discomfort and pain, yet we seek out sad music to validate our feelings and to find peace in our suffering. We long to commiserate if only to find solace that we are not alone in our grief, loss, or emptiness. In a way, a sad song acts as a vehicle for every personal and unique experience. Coming to terms with our thoughts and feelings through this act of meditation is a way to heal.
My installation, "The Pleasure of Sad Music," resided in the Medici Gallery on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus for a week in December 2016. Viewers were invited to simply sit and listen in the space. Three projectors showed a collection of vintage found video footage meant to evoke a dream-like state, and a place where the viewer's thoughts and feelings could connect with the images and music. The footage centered around themes of life and death, past and present, and our relationships with others. The image-music relationship was meant to change meaning based on a person's state of being in the room.