Improvisation was the name of the game Friday night at Spontaneous Combustion, an art event that paired local musicians and artists at the Stockade Bed and Breakfast on Highland Road
A small audience gathered to watch as up to seven musicians at a time ad-libbed using instruments that ranged from drums to a harp, while artists collaborated by painting and drawing, using inspiration from the rhythm and mood of the music.
The musicians played in unison and took cues from one another to set the tempo. The artists sat in close proximity to the instruments and were in deep concentration, often intensely focused on the canvas or paper in front of them.
“The idea is to interpret music visually,” said freshman interior design student Daniel Willson.
Spontaneous Combustion began as a musical jam session with Daniel Willson and his brother, alumnus Joel Willson, and friend, alumnus Ben Herrington. The project eventually grew to incorporate artists and expanded to public venues for audiences to enjoy.
The first event was held nearly three years ago and the group has since held five to seven a year at various venues around the city, like Highland Coffees.
The event also allows the audience to experience the creative process firsthand and go home with those works of art as a lasting memory, Joel Willson said.
The art works are raffled off to the audience at the end of the night, and the proceeds go to the artists to reimburse them for materials used throughout the night.
Vickie Willson, Daniel and Joel’s mother, attends the Spontaneous Combustion events to oversee the raffles at the end of the night.
Through her experience at the events, Vickie Willson said she has seen artists create works that don’t resemble their specific style. She said they are “moved by the music” to create something unique every time.
“[The artists] connect the different aspects of art and are moved by the sound of the music,” she said.
Joel Willson said the events are also an attempt to get local art and artists recognized while keeping those artists in the Baton Rouge community, rather than having them leave to work in another venue.
“[Artists] move and we don’t want them to move,” he said. “It’s about being the art you want to see [in the community].”
The Stockade Bed and Breakfast owner Janice DeLerno said she was excited to host the event. As a former art dealer, she said she supports local art whenever she can.
“It’s a great way to support young artists,” she said.
The Stockade Bed and Breakfast is adorned with local and state-wide works of art, and DeLerno said the Spontaneous Combustion event falls right in line with what she supports.
Alumnus and professional artist Alex Harvie participated in Spontaneous Combustion for the first time Friday, where he worked on a colorful canvas situated a few feet from the musicians.
Harvie said the event was great and something he would do again.
“You can’t help yourself to not be influenced,” he said.
“The idea is to interpret music visually.”
