Lifescapes is based on my synaesthetic perception of music. Maarten Schellekens’ episodic composition ‘New Life’ invites the listener to concentrate on the individual instruments: piano, drums, bassoon and violas in two very distinct ranges. For me, these sequences reflected different phases of life from the beginning, supported by the unique visual themes. It felt natural to adopt synaesthetic mechanisms to convey the music’s wide, calm, and clear character. One important mechanism is to shift the visual focus to individual sounds and details. They emerge as moving colored shapes and textures, or, as in the case of the bassoon, solely through the color of its timbre, in which the drums are bathed.

Lifescapes was first published during the MuVi7 international exhibition of video on synaesthesia and visual music where it received an honorable mention.

The exhibition took place from October 23 to 25, 2025, at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Granada, as well as at the Convento de Capuchinos and the Palacio Abacial in Alcalá la Real, Jaén, Spain, during the VIII International Conference Synesthesia: Science and Art.

 Note:  Lifescapes lives on the synchronisation of sound and movement. To enjoy the best possible experience, use built-in or wired speakers. Using Bluetooth speakers may result in a slight delay to the sound, which affects the synchronisation. 

Discover more music by Maarten Schellekens on Spotify

Download / licensing: freemusicarchive.org/music/maarten-schellekens/