Drawing together: Charles Worvill and Sarah Johnston discuss collaborating and ‘The Rite’

The Rite of Spring (59.4cms x 84.4cms) [mixed media on paper]

Background

We are two BA Drawing students who have spent the past year developing three collaborative projects together. In this first post, we’re excited to share our response to Igor Stravinsky’s groundbreaking 1913 ballet score, The Rite of Spring.

Charles: Collaboration was one of the optional themes I chose during the second Stage 2 unit of the BA Drawing. As I began exploring what that might look like, I became fascinated by the idea of creating a visual conversation in response to a musical composition. Through studio discussions, I discovered that Sarah was equally enthusiastic about collaborative practice. After exchanging ideas, we decided to embark on three joint projects, beginning with The Rite of Spring.

Stravinsky’s score has lost none of its power; described by Opera North as “an eternally modern score” (Opera North, 2021), it still pulses with energy and remains one of the most unforgettable works of the early twentieth century. It felt like the perfect catalyst for a bold and exploratory collaboration.

The Rite of Spring - detail 1

Process

Our collaboration materialised through a shared A1 drawing on paper, folded down and

posted back and forth between us. Each exchange brought new layers of marks, materials, and interventions. We agreed that any techniques were permitted - adding, overwriting, erasing - allowing the drawing to evolve freely and without parameters.

Taking turns to respond took us in unexpected directions. Each new contribution widened the possibilities, not only in relation to Stravinsky’s music, but also in response to the emerging visual language of the drawing itself. After five exchanges, we felt a natural sense of resolution and agreed that the piece had reached its conclusion.

The final drawing became a dynamic composite - a fusion of our individual visual languages, shaped and reshaped through dialogue, risk-taking, and trust in the process.

The Rite of Spring - detail 2

Reflection

Charles: Reflecting on the completed drawing and on our collaborative process, I realized that reacting to the music alone had been effectively impossible for me, as I already had conscious, pre-existing ideas about the visual aspects of the ballet, picked up from research into its origins and early productions. These preconceptions inevitably coloured my drawn contributions to some degree but led me to realize that the marks an artist makes are determined by more factors than may be apparent to the conscious mind.

Sarah: Before I embarked on the collaboration, I was aware that the ballet comprises

several pagan dances and in hindsight my response feels more closely tied to that focus than I had anticipated. The theme of dance also strongly influenced my use of colour and gesture, as I tried to capture the passion and intensity of the ritual. I found it difficult to sidestep what I already knew about The Rite, its reputation and acknowledgement of paganistic practices. But listening to a recording of it on repeat while I worked helped me to connect with the rhythm and dynamism of the music.

My aim was to respond intuitively to each update, keen to see how Charles had reacted to my previous contribution. I think I had expected our exchange might become an even more overt visual dialogue than just an expression of the theme, but I was excited that the process remained energising and full of discovery.

Conclusion

Our drawing became more than a response to Stravinsky’s music; it became a map of our interior landscapes - a record of instinct, influence, memory, and exchange. Collaboration revealed perspectives and impulses that might otherwise have remained hidden.

Although our imaginations were already seeded with strong visual associations, by sharing authorship we gained access to each other’s ways of seeing and thinking, enriching the work beyond what either of us might have produced alone. It revealed how deeply layered artistic decisions can be, and how many unseen influences shape what appears on the page.

In future posts, we’ll explore drawing together in real time using an online whiteboard and engaging in a visual dialogue through a serial exchange of personal drawings in which we continue our exploration of collaboration as conversation.

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References

Opera North, (2021) The Rite of Spring: An introduction. [Publicity article online]. Available at: https://www.operanorth.co.uk/news/the-rite-of-spring-an-introduction/ (Accessed 18/02/2026).

All images: copyright Sarah Johnston/Charles Worvill.

A 2017 performance of the music for The Rite of Spring can be found here: YouTube (2017) Stravinsky The Rite of Spring [Musical performance online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkwqPJZe8ms (Accessed 18/02/2026).