In the innovative flow of Vietnamese art, the book “Echoes of Shapes” suggests a unique approach: Connecting music and shapes to explore the depth of emotions and unique identity of Vietnamese creativity.

Scene of the discussion and book introduction.

Vu Hiep chose the music “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by his favorite composer, the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) as the background for his thoughts on art. A notable highlight in the book is the idea of ​​“creativity based on heritage”. Vu Hiep believes that all artistic innovations need to originate from the core of traditional culture. Although influenced by Western music or modern philosophy, the author still does not stray from the Vietnamese emotional flow from folk materials to humanistic spirit.

At the launch, readers also asked a few questions to the speakers to better understand the meaning of the book. Sharing more about the meaning of intersensory in art. Architect Tran Thanh Binh believes that the intersensory element comes from a principle of co-existence and translation, in which seemingly different fields such as music, architecture or painting have similar internal structures.

Architect Tran Thanh Binh (sitting in the middle) shares about the book.

Both music and architecture, ultimately, are based on a structural principle where image, color, rhythm and contrast come together to create synesthesia – the connection between hearing, seeing, feeling and imagining.

In addition, speaker Vu Hiep also said that in architecture, the creator must “hear many different sounds” to feel emotional vibrations - that is when the architect touches the depth of artistic senses. He also emphasized that the inter-sensory nature does not deny that “looking at a painting is just looking at a painting”, but in contemporary art, the multi-sensory connection helps to expand the spectrum of human perception, beyond the framework of each individual subject. This not only brings aesthetic value, but also opens up new meanings in education and society.

Architect, artist, researcher Vu Hiep signs books.

The “deconstruction” of the “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” was his way of finding the common structural thread between music and architecture – where art is not only heard and seen, but also felt with all the senses.

“Echoes of Shapes” is a testament to the effort to find a common language of art, where music, architecture, and painting come together. The book not only expands the boundaries of perception, but also reminds each person of the close connection between beauty, emotion, and national culture. In the midst of modern life full of sounds and images, Vu Hiep's works invite us to stop and listen to the echoes of our own souls.

Architect, painter, art researcher Vu Hiep was born in 1982 in Hai Phong , graduated in architecture from the University of Architecture and Construction of St. Petersburg (Russian Federation), currently a lecturer at the University of Transport. He has published books: "The liberal spirit of art" (Fine Arts Publishing House, 2015), "Vietnamese cities - Perspectives from places" (Construction Publishing House, 2016), "The spiritual structures of art" (Fine Arts Publishing House, 2018), "The creation of art" (Fine Arts Publishing House, 2022), "Echoes of Image" (Fine Arts Publishing House, 2025). Researcher Vu Hiep's works have been awarded the National Architecture Award in 2017 (bronze prize), 2019 (silver prize), 2021 (bronze prize), 2023 (silver prize); National Book Award B Prize 2019; Awarded level A by the Central Council for Theory and Criticism of Literature and Art in 2020.

News and photos: VAN HA - THUY DUNG

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/ra-mat-sach-tieng-doi-cua-hinh-890344