Mod Noir
Mod Noir is a contemporary mixed media artwork born from deep listening to Håkon Kornstad’s Dwell Time, particularly the fourth track, “Noir.”
The album became more than a soundtrack while I was working. I listened repeatedly, allowing the music to settle into the process and letting intuition rather than conscious planning guide the work.
Kornstad describes Dwell Time as an attempt to enter a particular mood and dwell within it, an approach that strongly resonated with the way I work.
The artwork grew through a combination of geometric structure, architectural fragments, atmospheric surfaces and contrasting forms.
Soft pale tones sit alongside deep charcoal, black, muted blue and striking pink, while circles, rectangles, angled planes and the solitary human form create a visual tension between order and movement.
I was not trying to illustrate the music or create a literal interpretation of “Noir”.
Instead, I allowed the rhythm, pauses, atmosphere and emotional character of the music to influence my decisions.
The artwork emerged through looking, listening, responding and trusting intuition.
That combination gives Mod Noir a distinctly contemporary character.
Its architectural geometry and restrained palette make it particularly suited to modern interiors, contemporary homes, minimalist spaces, offices, lobbies, hospitality environments and carefully styled residential settings.
The stronger pink and geometric elements can introduce a sophisticated accent to a neutral interior, while the darker lower section adds depth and visual weight.
For interior designers, home stylists and real estate stylists, Mod Noir offers something beyond simple decoration. Its layered composition gives the eye places to pause and return to, allowing the artwork to become part of the architecture of a room rather than simply occupying a wall.
I like the idea that an artwork can change subtly depending on the space around it. In a restrained interior it can become a quiet focal point.
Against concrete, timber, glass or neutral furnishings, its geometric language can echo the architectural qualities of the room while its softer atmospheric passages introduce something more contemplative.
Mod Noir is ultimately an artwork about listening. Listening to music, listening to instinct and allowing an image to reveal itself rather than forcing it into existence.
The result is a unique contemporary artwork where music, intuition, geometry and atmosphere meet.
