I got back from Long Beach earlier this week.
I had a great time participating in SoundWalk 2011. I am proud of how my "Faeries in Flight" installation was received, and I experienced so many great people and pieces in the show! The things I liked best tended to be live analog electronic performances and relational works.
I'm glad I spent the amount of effort I did working on the visual portion of "Faeries". The sonic & scent parts came together on their own (though I tinkered until the last minute) but I struggled with materials (wire, fabric, and all sorts of lights) before finding the birch bark tubes & wicker moon.
Here's the original audio, which grew into a 5 hour extravaganza in Ambiophonic sound:
In April 2011 I took some lovely pictures on Dillon Beach in Pt. Reyes Station, CA. When I got home and loaded them into my computer, I discovered these two stony faces: a Sphinx and a gnome!
The Sphinx and Gnome were still there when I returned in April 2012! Pierre the Gnome is covered with with thick green moss--the only vegetation visible on the whole cliff face. Water trickles down from above him, and there's a little pool with fishies right at his feet. Pierre faces South, the Sphinx West, right where California meets the Pacific Ocean.
My piece "Faeries In Flight" was accepted to the SoundWalk Festival in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, October 1. It's a multimedia (sound/scent/visual) installation. Here's some of the audio:
On June 6 I put up my first photo exhibit at the Works In Progress Gallery @ JFK University in Berkeley, CA.
Preparation was an interesting process...I literally went through every picture I've ever taken in search for the right ones. I was very pleased with the images I picked and the way they were printed.
I've started collaborating (doing music & sound design) with performance artist Anthony Julius Williams (he's on the left, I'm on the right).
He's doing a powerful piece that takes on the legacy of slavery, the prison-industrial complex, racism, the War on (Some) Drugs, police brutality, and other things.
He wants it to be heavy and thought-provoking, but ultimately hopeful.
I'm coming up with sounds and music to support his vision...
This comes at a perfect time, as this quarter I took Pamela Blotner's "Artist as Witness" class, which was all about effectively addressing political issues through art.
On June 14 Anthony did a 42 minute run-through of the show at JFK University.
I was amazed at the power of his conception and performance.
He integrated the sounds I gave him very well, and I felt like the music evoked the moods he wanted. The pace of his diction and movements, and his use of repetition create a truly hypnotic effect.
I haven't used this piece--"Be Reasonable"--in the show yet, but I think it can fit in there.
It's still a work in progress...I gave the bass the depth it needed, but I think the drums have to be more in-yo'-face.
Anthony has found a director and lighting designer and is searching for a venue.
I'm excited to develop my contributions and am looking forward to the official debut in the fall!
