Timbre of artistry: innovative musical perspectives on the Blue Mosque

This project-based research examines the Blue Mosque Shah Alam in Malaysia through the creation of four original musical work. Five composers under the leadership of the project leader (lecturer) collaborated to musicify some architectural and temporal aspects namely the dome, construction period, interior, and four minarets. The methodology involved visual analysis, secondary research, and field audio recording to inform the composition process. Sonification processes were applied to convert visual data, structural data, and experiential factors into musical parameters such as melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, and spatialization. Findings reveal innovative sonic translations of each element of the mosque: the dome's shape dictating musical texture and stability; the construction chronology unfolding as a story musical form; the interior spatial properties and patterns informing sonic textures and melodic contours; and the minarets' characteristics translated as key signatures, instruments, and dynamic contrasts. These pieces introduce a fresh aesthetic encounter with the Blue Mosque, validating the potential of music as an architectural appreciation instrument and as an interdisciplinarity method for understanding culture. This project offers a new voice to understanding the way cultural landmarks are apprehended and understood through innovative audio descriptions.