To Shanghai now, where a pianist inspires a painter who in turn inspires the pianist. That was the artistic method on show over the weekend at an improvised performance - the first recital of its kind staged in Asia.

Hollywood composer Mark Chait's music inspired Chinese artist Atman One, who meditated for several minutes before starting to paint.

In turn, Chait was inspired by the painter's work, taking his music in different directions. It was the first time the two artists collaborated. They didn't speak to one another on stage. They simply communicated through their art.

 Pianist and painter trade inspiration in SH improv.

"The true spirit in the performance is harmony. The chemistry from the audience and the message between me and Chait should be harmony. It's a natural creation. And the most important part of it is unknown and improvised," said artist Atman One.

"The audience is part of my creation because I'm feeding off their energy. And I'm transferring the energy into music. And the painter Atman will be painting what they see,"

"And then the audience will react to the painting and then I'll react to the audience. So it's a triangle," said Hollywood Composer Mark Chait.

Chait says he has done several such performances with other artists in Paris and in the United States. But he hoped to bring it to China to let Shanghai experience it. Some spectators say they were very impressed.

  Pianist and painter trade inspiration in SH improv.

"I keep trying to see who is leading who. Is the artist leading the pianist, or the piano leading more? But I really feel that it's a give and take on both sides."

It's the first time I've seen something quite like this because I've seen very avant-garde performances. And this actually crosses the boundary between avant-garde and classical. I was expecting something very abstract and very dramatic. And that's exactly what we're getting.

Chait says he plans more collaborations like this in Shanghai and elsewhere in China.