Videos That Combine Art And Modern Music

A look at videos that combine art and modern music. I enjoy creating powerful videos which combine my own artwork with the music of modern musicians. In this blog I explore the process of collaborating and give examples of the outputs.

Videos That Combine Art And Modern Music

Why Collaborate When There Is Free Music Available?

The internet is full of options for copyright free music that you can use when creating a video. You do need to read the fine print though and check that you follow the terms of use.

In some cases this includes providing an acknowledgement of the music source. One of my regular sources is Bensound. I always reference the music source on both the closing credits of the video and in the video description.

But sometimes, an idea for something a little bit different requires an alternative approach. Particularly if you are looking to create a powerful video that packs a punch. Here are some examples of powerful videos that resulted from collaboration with modern musicians. They form a playlist on my YouTube Channel.

My First Collaboration

An exhibition of my work was held in my adopted home of Paciano in Umbria, Italy which ran from 30 October 2016 to 6 January 2017. This was a very personal exhibition to me, not least as the exhibition was to show the local influences on my work. Because it was so personal I was determined to find just the right music for the video that would be used at the opening event. And, as you do, I called a friend!

Stefan Burkey and I have worked together as labor market consultants many times over the years. I was also aware of Stefan’s love of music and composition and was already subscribed to his Soundcloud channel. I approached him to see if he would be happy for me to use one of his tracks (with full attribution of course). He was very happy for me to do so and left the choice of track and style of video to me. I selected his track ‘Peaceful Harbour’ and created the following video.

A Classical Influence

I wanted to work with some of my images of Central Italy and create a video of ‘Italian Memories’. I approached OneStopItaly whose owner is very supportive of my work and also Johannes Hirschmann, a classical musician I came across on social media.

It was agreed that I would use Johannes’ track ‘Watching The Beautiful Walk By’ as the music for the video. I spent a great deal of time creating the video, allowing the art to flow with the music and getting approval from my collaborators at relevant points. All of my collaborators were pleased with the result. What do you think?

Something Completely Different

I came across a young rapper called MindfulXpansion. Having subscribed to his Soundcloud channel I really liked the messages he is getting across with his music. I thought it would be fun to match my healing art to his big message music. On approach, he was very happy for me to use one of his tracks for a video. I chose ‘Avatar’. A particular piece of music is not always to everyone’s tastes but I really love this track. I like the spoken word segments in between the rapping and of course the message that is portrayed. Again, it was a challenge to fit my artwork to the music but I think I managed it and it is a powerful video. You can decide for yourself.

Collaborating With My Musician Husband

My most recent collaborations have been with my husband Graham Irwin. Although concentrating on folk music, Graham also creates his own original music. We have collaborated on two videos. The first uses one of my poems, the illustrations for it and his music. It is called ‘Moon In My Heart’.

Our most recent collaboration celebrates my original paintings and uses his track ‘Happy Days’. It is lovely to be able to work together in this way. It is a real example of videos that combine art with modern music.

Calling Any Musicians Out There

I am always looking for opportunities to collaborate with musicians. If any of you are musicians who would like to work with me, or know of a musician I could approach, please write in the comments section. It is fun to do, and a nice form of joint promotion.

This article was originally published in 2018 and updated and republished on 8 June 2022.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

You can follow me on Facebook.

Thank you for reading!