Update

I've spent the past month reacting to the tech demo, the biggest question being: in exactly what manner is the piece related to the story of the Emerys and the murder of Jason Bass?  What level of literalness or abstraction?  This has always been a very tough question, but I believe I'm getting close to the sweet spot of this relationship.  Closer, at least.

I've been working a lot on content (music/sound, video).  And trying to figure out the best way to measure audience/performer proximity in the curtain room (see here).  I've been reaching out to performers and collaborators and will meet with dancer/actors Shura Baryshnikov and Peter Deffet (whom I've worked with before).  They're both fantastic.  We'll be meeting in the same space as the demo show (Mathewson St. Church) where I'll be doing more work with the installation stuff next month.

I haven't put any music up here, since I'm much more squeamish about putting in-progress music up than in-progress video or tech.  But here's the theme of the piece, which has been rattling around in my head for two years, and is for toy piano/fender rhodes. Though it pops up all over in one way or another during the piece.

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Video Documentation of May 18th Demo Show

Here's a brief video walk-through from the May 18th demo show at Mathewson St. Methodist Church.  It was a very helpful event and I really appreciate Karen and Audie and others from the Church letting me use this amazing theater space on the top floor of their historic building.  I also appreciate all my friends, advisers, and colleagues who came and gave me very useful feedback, especially Peter Bussigel who always gives fantastic and engaging responses that keep me thinking on my toes.

It was a good start, but just a start.  I was able to hint at what these three spaces are capable of, and the spaces can be expanded (more curtains) or pared down (fewer monitors, etc).  It was mostly a tech demo, and I admit was low on content (video, audio, music).  But for these large scale performance/installation spaces, it's really impossible to visualize what they might look or sound like in my little mock-ups at the MEME studio.  The work done here, especially building/programming, is bankable and I have asked the Church to allow me to work in these spaces for an extended period later this month, which I think will be the only way I can build and "practice" these spaces as performance tools (as instruments!).  I am also excited to start bringing more of the music and video I've been working on, along with performers into theses spaces to try stuff out: will keep you posted.

Video below (full resolution is only available at the Vimeo page)







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