Piece of the Week: ‘Power Trio’ by Hector Mansilla

Our Piece of the Week starts with the most unusual feature found in an illustration; sound. What I imagine to be a “Clank Clank RROoOaaarRRr” that’s ringing at triple digit decibels, Redbubble artist Hector Mansilla who is based in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico has created a work inspired by the power of making music.

This epic tribute to music making madness titled “Power Trio” is floating on a cloud powered by a keyboard. Or playing a keyboard. Or both. What’s clear is this: it’s nearly impossible to look at “Power Trio” without experiencing some form of Synesthesia (loosely described as a condition in which stimulation of one sense creates an automatic involuntary experience in a second sense).

There’s really two stand-out elements in this piece. The first is its detail, which is everywhere and delightful. As I scan the artwork, I’m surprised and excited by the fish tank on the top and the playful orange and white banner (or scarf) wrapped loosely around the whole living, breathing contraption. It was Charles Eames who said, “Details are not the details. They make the design.” The moon is melting a little bit. There are details everywhere.

The second is the skill Mansilla has shown through evoking sounds inside our heads to create character and style with other senses. This is incredibly hard to do in design. It’s witty and playful and exudes personality. It’s the hard bit of art, the “how,” the transference of idea into form that’s been done quite well indeed here.

When staring at “Power Trio,” it’s hard not to image the sounds it creates — a cavernous “Roarrr” and the delicate shrill of a Soprano belting out “DO RE ME LA SOL…” Notice the arms or curves that “Power Trio” is sprouting are spinning records and shredding on a guitar, creating a freaky factory of power ballad production out there, in the orange, forevermore.

If I haven’t convinced you yet that this beautiful floating dysfunctional dystopia is not a serious case of very good design, it’s worth noting the palette of subtle and underplayed of oranges, purples, and minty greens. But I don’t need to convince you, just look at “Power Trio.” And listen to it.

Be sure to visit Mansilla’s profile for more prints, garments, and cases.