Slow Dancing (Music Mosaic)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKRGypzCj8U

 The music I chose for my mosaic was Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer. September 13, 2016 marks the 10-Year anniversary of one of the most influential musical albums to ever be created by the modern man. Continuum is a deep reaching album that stretches the depths of human emotions involving relationships. Many songs feature classic, archetypal blues roots that stretch back towards dawn of the modern guitarist in the 1930s. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room analyzes the deterioration of a relationship. The song evokes feelings of isolation, reflection, realness, subtleties of life, the necessity of trial, and thoughts of universal placement. Slow Dancing is in no rush to expose a narrative and truly allows the listener a chance to visualize and embody the gradual burning of a once fruitful relationship, or whatever metaphor the listener chooses for that matter. This song has always spoken to a hidden, perhaps naiveté aspect of my human condition. It beckons me to open my eyes, were it be, and truly see the world around me. It encourages growth, exploration, kindness, adventure. With its striking simple melody it encourages the development of these attributes, a return to a child-like curiosity and belief in yourself, people and the world. Growing up, I have always been fond of guitar, particularly the blues. This stems from early exposure to artists like Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton. I have played guitar since the age of 13, that of which traditional blues scales and riffs are the foundation of any young and eager guitarist’s learning curve. These sensational riffs and nuances created by the artist perfectly allow the listener exposure to the creator’s mind. This song embodies a sense of isolation and distance. It speaks to the timid introvert that is alive in each and every human being. The first time I heard this song I was instantly brought to a deep reflective portion of my soul that was rarely visited prior to this organic experience. Organic is the perfect way to describe the evocation of emotions that was aroused within my soul. The acoustic piece reminds me of that time to reflect and reach a deeper understanding of my isolation within this universe. I understand that can sound like a negative reaction to this piece but on the contrary, the seldom event of isolation in a cluttered world allows me to recognize my position in my own life and in the plan that God has for me. It helps me to realize just how much I need Heavenly Father, in my life and in cultivating relationships. We are all slow dancing in our own burning room throughout our lifetimes. From the ashes of trials and tribulations come the fruits of our labors. This is an analogy derived from the Allegory of the Olive Tree found in the Book of Mormon.  This song was a bit difficult to embody successfully in photography and art. Several shots are meant to isolate certain aspects of the image whether it be the blurred strand of individual lights or the empty courtyard being greeted by the night.The fire of the sunset and the emptiness of the late night streets beckons to the wanderer, to the isolated dreamer. The noir shot of myself in a long empty office hallway is one that resembles the place I reach when comforted by the tones and subtle nuances alive within the song. Perhaps this contrast would be more effective within a crowd or a cluttered city environment but I felt the natural lines of sight within the hallway, looking up, allowed slight perspective into my thoughts at that time. The pieces of art are supposed to represent the duality of human nature, or natures in particular instances, and the conflict of this deteriorating relationship. The spherical male dancing within the room while the contrasting and powerful female crashing to the ground in an epic dance move. Finally, the two dancers clashing within their own rooms and respective relationships. The instrumental of Slow Dancing in a Burning Room is a compilation of these shots and pieces of art. The emotional intricacies of isolation, reaching, perspective, and universal placement are alive and well in the human condition today, perhaps more than ever. In a world where we are more connected than ever before in the history of mankind, more and more souls struggle daily from a lack of basic social bonds than ever before. The millennial generations inability to commit is quite possibly a result of not understanding the role of isolation, perspective, and each individual’s universal placement.