MUKESH AMARAN
ALBUM ARTicle
SAKINA
BOOTWALA
Hello, a little bit about yourself and your background in arts and music?
I could have never imagined myself pursuing the arts
as I’ve been jumping from one trade to another all
my life. From studying Science in school to doing an
Advertising & Branding major in College, the focus
was never towards Designing per se. It was actually
during my final year in college that I found myself
more interested in visual semiotics; when strategy met
practicality - the creative execution. And I think that’s
when I made my decision. The more I dabbled in the
arts, the happier I was. I felt like I was finally able to
express my confusion through visual eclecticism.
At this point in your career, what role did music have
to play in you getting to where you are?
Music has always been a source of inspiration
in my life - it started with relating to the lyrics
and appreciating different elements within the
music to gradually understanding the mood and
emotion that the song is trying to reflect.
Tell us about your collaboration with Blame Adam from
conception to creation and the end product.
It was quite an interesting one as his music is
unconventional and groovy. We came across the Japanese
idea of an individual having three faces; the first face,
you show to the world. The second, you show to your
close friends, and your family. The third, you never
really show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you
are. People are complicated, and much of what makes
us who we are is hidden beneath the surface. As we
interact with different people, we reveal different layers
of ourselves. And that’s the concept behind Asura.
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What are your thoughts on how other art apart from
music is perceived in our music scene? (Like visual
arts, album arts, photographers and the likes)
According to me, it is essential for both audio &
visual to co-exist in the same realm for the maximum
experience. It is an integral part for the growth of
music. The visual aspect aids to making music a
more tangible resource in the industry. Music and
art are inter-related and complement one another.
Tell us a little bit about the process that is
involved in making a piece by Sakina.
It’s a little bit of inspiration from people, real life
and a lot to do with what’s going on in the mind.
There’s no right way to approach an idea. Sometimes
the idea takes 3 days & sometimes it takes 3 months
to fully surface as an art piece. To be honest,
I’m still coming to understand my process.
How is creating an album art different from creating other art?
It isn’t in the most basic sense of creating the
album art - that is, it must signify something or
tell a story. But it is different in the sense that it
needs to tell someone else’s story. So understanding
that in terms of the music can be challenging.
Tell us about your art style and the concepts behind your artworks.
It aims to be minimal but it always has one overpowering
element. It is dark but it has splashes of colour
here and there. Almost always, it denotes a state of
mind - either with the colours or the concept.