Seeing Sound /
Hearing Color
JAZZ • VISUAL ART • IMPROVISATION
HPPAA INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS PROJECT
An evolving HPPAA project that translates rhythm, harmony, gesture, memory, and spontaneous invention into abstract visual form—then brings the work back into listening, performance, exhibition, and public participation.
THE IDEA
A visual residue of
listening and performance
Seeing Sound / Hearing Color begins with a question: what remains on the canvas after a musician listens deeply? Created by jazz pianist, composer, improviser, and visual artist Hank Hehmsoth, the work responds to musical energy rather than illustrating a song literally.
Lines may behave like melody. Shapes can interrupt one another like an ensemble. Repetition, silence, density, color, and movement become visual counterparts to the choices musicians make in real time. There is no fixed code connecting one note to one color; each work records an act of attention, memory, and improvisation.
THE WORK MOVES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS:
MUSIC GENERATES IMAGES; IMAGES
RETURN TO SHAPE LISTENING, WRITING,
AND PERFORMANCE.
ONE PROJECT, FOUR WAYS TO EXPERIENCE IT
EXHIBITION • LISTENING • PERFORMANCE • PARTICIPATION
Exhibition
Original abstract works
create a visual environment
haped by musical rhythm, gesture,
structure, and memory.
Interactive Listening
QR-linked audio lets visitors
hear the music connected to
selected works and make
their own associations.
Live Performance
Double Vision Jazz
Ensemble brings the project
back to the stage, pairing
improvisation with projected
artwork.
Workshops + Talks
Guided looking, listening,
writing, and creative
response invite students and
community members into the
process.
FEATURED ARTWORK
Hand Dances
SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
Improv #2
SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
Flugelhorn
SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
Bass for Utah
SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
Mud Slide
SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
Piano Mind
SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
SELECTED WORKS FROM SEEING SOUND / HEARING COLOR
LISTENING MADE VISIBLE
Seeing Sound / Hearing Color transforms music, memory, gesture, and improvisation into visual form. Each artwork is a trace of sound—a visual residue of the creative process.
Selected works are paired with QR-linked audio, allowing visitors to hear the original music associated with an image. The result is a self-guided encounter in which looking and listening continually reshape one another.
The listening component can accompany exhibitions, residencies, concerts, workshops, and public-space installations.
Mud Slide
“
Each artwork is a moment
of listening made visible.
— Hank Hehmsoth
Pianist, Composer, Visual Artist
PROJECT IN PRACTICE
Brazosport Interdisciplinary
Residency & Exhibition, 2026
At Brazosport College, Seeing Sound / Hearing Color expanded from a gallery exhibition into a week of connected public experiences. Twenty-five original works remained on view during January and February 2026, while the February 2–6 residency brought music, conversation, and creative participation into the gallery and performance spaces.
Visitors could use QR-linked audio to hear original music connected to selected works. Double Vision Jazz Ensemble performed with projected imagery; Hank Hehmsoth presented an artist talk; and a guided workshop invited participants to slow down, listen closely, describe what they noticed, and make a creative response of their own.
Brazosport College • Lake Jackson, Texas • 2026
LOOKING AHEAD
From one residency to a
flexible public program
Seeing Sound / Hearing Color can be adapted to galleries, museums, colleges, schools, festivals, and community spaces. Each presentation can stand alone or combine visual art, live music, education, and audience participation.
PROGRAM FORMATS
- Gallery or museum exhibition
- College or university residency
- Interactive listening installation
- Concert with projected artwork
- Community or student workshop
- Artist talk or lecture-demonstration
PARTNERSHIPS + PRESENTATIONS
Bring Seeing Sound / Hearing Color
to Your Community
HPPAA welcomes conversations with galleries, colleges, schools, festivals, museums, and community organizations.